


Avalanches Approaching

by Simarillion



Series: Glaciology! Verse [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-03
Updated: 2010-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-08 16:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simarillion/pseuds/Simarillion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Extra! Extra! Read all about it! (Of pictures, and rumours, and beginnings)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: None of the herein presented happenings and events are true. Everything is 100% fiction and that includes the sexuality of the characters. I don't claim to be in the know about their relations and private affairs, and I don't make any money with the creation of this story.
> 
> A/N: This is part 3 of the Glaciology! 'verse. Jensen is a scientist in the field of glaciology and he spends most of his time surrounded by ice, whereas Jared is a Hollywood movie star. Prequel to this story are Invisible Glaciers and Iceberg Anatomy.

Jensen has been in Texas for a full week now. His already planned vacation time started early when he injured his already sprained ankle the first time he took the dogs out after his time off. The ligament didn't tear, but Jensen was in a lot of pain, make that hellish pain, for two days. It was decided that he should leave the snow and ice behind for something less challenging to maneuver in. So, the States it is, and Texas was only the logical choice, since he wanted to go there a month later anyway.

His parents were ecstatic when he called them about his earlier arrival. From the amount of food he's been fed, his mum had apparently done nothing else but cook from the time Jensen contacted them, to the time he arrived three days later.

Even Dean, who usually preferred the cold, the snow, and the ice, had been ecstatic about their trip south. The reason for this is most likely to be found in the increased number of human slaves that pet, and scratch and feed him. Jensen has complained more than once about the dog's shameless behavior, claiming that it gives the impression of him not properly taking care of Dean. The husky couldn't care less about Jensen's protests.

In the last seven days, he had mostly spent his time, helping around the house (as far as his mum would let him – with him being injured and all), visiting with his brother and his family (which includes meeting the youngest member of the Ackles family for the first time since she's started school), mentally support his father with his latest garden shed project, harass his sister with late night phone calls (preferably when her latest boyfriend is around – as are their mum's orders), and check in with friends.

All of this has kept him somewhat busy, but being used to starting his days at four thirty in the morning and staying up late more often than not, leaves a lot of hours that need filling, now that he's with his family.

Fortunately he got a call yesterday, from Chris. What Jensen didn't know is that today Kane is giving a concert in Dallas, in a pub they used to play in when they started out many years ago. Since Jensen is in Texas, and he's not busy, his presence is mandatory.

So he finds himself anticipating meeting up with his friends, and spending some time away, not eating, or talking about wood panels. That alone guarantees an awesome time.

In the afternoon he takes a shower. The heat is almost unbearable for someone like him who live in the Polar Region. He then tries to iron his clothes for the evening. It stays at trying because the moment his mum sees him starting up the iron, she chases him off, claiming that men don't know how to do this properly.

Jensen hides out in the kitchen and steals a handful of oatmeal cookies. It's surprising he wants to eat something even though he's getting stuffed all day long. Only when his mum declares that she's finished with his clothes, does he return to the living room.

The rest of the day, he plays with Dean, and at seven he gets ready, heading out half an hour later. Jensen puts his foot down on his mum's brilliant idea of having his dad drive him to the concert (just in case his foot is still too injured for him to drive himself). Jensen compromises and calls a cab. At least he doesn't have to worry about parking his car.

The _Roadhouse_ is already pretty full when Jensen arrives. Some of the patrons are here because of the band, some are regulars who come here every night. Chris' face stares at him from an ample bosomed chest. The young woman proudly presents her shirt and the print on it to everyone who's interested. Some of the guys are even allowed to touch.

He scans the room and then the stage. People he doesn't know are setting up the instruments and preparing everything for the gig. It's strange for Jensen to see the roadies work, because he can still remember the days when they did all of that themselves. No-one to help with anything.

"Look at what the cat dragged in. If it isn't the snowman." The sarcastic drawl comes from right behind him, and Jensen turns around grinning. With others he would be more reserved, but with Chris he doesn't think twice before he wraps his friend in a tight hug.

"Look who's talking, cowboy. What's with the weird hair? Someone drag you through the bushes?" He smiles wide. Jensen's sure he looks like an idiot.

"Fuck you, Ackles." Chris throws his arm around Jensen's shoulder after he's unwrapped them. "Looking forward to singing with us?"

Every time he goes to see Kane play it is the same. Chris will make him go on stage and sing a couple of songs with them. Every time.

"Like you would let me do anything else." His answer is met with a determined nod, and then Jensen's steered through the crowd and to the backstage area. Or at least what counts as backstage in this pub. It's more like the mostly empty storage room. There are a couple of chairs and a table with drinks, placed there in the attempt to make it more comfortable for the musicians.

They find Steve in a corner, strumming his guitar, and singing quietly. Their approach isn't noticed, and only once Chris claps him on the shoulder, does Steve look up and see the two of them. When his eyes fall onto Jensen he brightens up.

"Jensen!" Steve sets the guitar aside and gets up to hug him. "Good to see you, man."

"Yeah, good to see you, too." Jensen means it from the bottom of his heart. Steve and Chris are great friends, and one of the things he regrets, working so far from Texas, and the States, is that he gets to see them only every couple of years.

"Jensen's gonna sing with us." The way Chris says it, like it's the logical thing to do, feels good as well.

"Great." With that Steve hands Jensen a guitar. "Tune it, and then you can play with us during the rest of the show as well."

Jensen looks from his friend to the instrument and then to Chris, who just grins, and then back to the guitar. With a shrug he takes it form Steve and sits down next to him. Both of them are strumming their guitars when Chris returns with his own, and then there's only the sound of them plucking and strumming the strings, playing parts of the songs, mostly to help Jensen remember.

It's about thirty minutes later that the roadies are returning backstage, giving the all clear for the show. And then Jensen finds himself on stage. There's a bar stool for him to sit on, so he won't have to stand on his injured foot for so long. He sits down and starts playing with the rest of the band.

He's really having a great time, singing in the background, playing the guitar. When Jensen's making music, and he concentrates on it, he's most of the time closing his eyes or looking at his guitar. Looking out at strangers while playing makes him too nervous. So, when he looks up after the first half of the show, and seeing a huge figure at the bar, his first thought is that Jared's here, but then he remembers that the other is in LA, and that he doesn't know that Jensen's here.

The next song starts, and he concentrates on the music again, but from then on he can't help but glance at the giant. The stage lights make it hard for him to recognize any facial features, the brightness having his eyes tear up. Then it's Jensen's turn to sing lead, it's a song Chris wrote especially for the times when Jensen is with them, and he steps to the front.

From this place he can see the mysterious stranger clearly, and he panics for a second, when it turns out that it really is Jared who's here. He thinks about skipping out on singing, but then Chris claps his shoulder and Steve makes some joke for the crowd, and Jensen uses the time to get his act together.

During the song he carefully avoids looking in Jared's direction, and focuses at some point straight ahead of him instead. After a couple of minutes it's over, and he returns to his stool in the back, relieved to be out of the spotlight. Even though he likes singing and playing music, the attention is sometimes a bit too much for him.

There are a couple songs more, and then they wrap the show up. The crowd's cheering them on, demanding an encore, and Jensen is stupefied when they want to hear him again as well. So Chris sings and then Jensen has to return to the mike at the front. There's clapping and whistling, and the first cords of a song him and Chris used to play back in high school starts. Adrenaline rushes him when he realizes that he might not remember the whole lyrics, but every time he's not sure how to continue, Chris just joins in. They sing it like it's supposed to be a duet.

Their return backstage is accompanied by applause and cheering, and Jensen feels almost drunk on the atmosphere. Never before had performing had such an effect on him. It's no surprise that Chris and Steve decided to keep on making music after school.

"Jensen my boy, you were a hit." Chris drapes his arm around him, his skin sweaty just like Jensen's shirt. "How about you go on tour with us?"

It's a running joke between them. Every time Jensen plays with the band, Chris will ask him to join them. "Aw, Chris, you sure about that. All the ladies out there will drop your ugly face for me. You know that you'll stand no chance."

His friend mock growls at him, and Steve laughs heartily.

"You know, he's right about that. We're lucky he's no regular. We wouldn't stand a chance of getting any girls with him around. No matter that he's not interested in them." Steve's grinning at them now. "Come on, the two of you. The adoring crowd awaits, and I could really use a beer or two."

They head back into the pub like that, Steve in the lead and Chris draped around Jensen. The woman with the big breasts makes straight for Chris, and Jensen gets relieved from the hold his friend has on him. The arm goes around her waist, pulling her closer to his side. She preens proudly, and clings to him.

When Jensen looks around, he finds Jared heading towards him. He's smiling broadly, carrying two bottles of beer. Once he's with Jensen, he holds one of the Coronas out to him.

"You never told me that you can sing." Hearing Jared's voice, and seeing him right in front of him, it feels like something is loosening up inside of Jensen. Like he's been tense and now that Jared's here he can let go and relax.

"It's nothing special. Sometimes I play with Chris and Steve when they are doing a gig." He takes the offered beer and takes a swig. The cold liquid feels good after singing for so long.

"What are you talking about. You were amazing." Jared is all dimples as he smiles even wider. "I liked the last song best, the one you and Chris sang together."

Jensen laughs. "Dude, that song, I wanted to strangle Chris when he started playing that one. It's ancient, we played it back at high school, and I can only remember half of the word to it."

"The two of you did great. Honest, no one noticed that you didn't know the lyrics, it looked like you wanted to do it the way you did." Together the two of them head into the same direction Chris and Steve disappeared in.

"Why are you here?" Jensen can't help but ask. It's kind of a mystery to him how Jared found out about the show and how he got to be in Texas in the first place.

"When you wrote that you'll be in Texas early I decided to make a stop on my way from New York to LA. It's sheer luck that I get to layover the same night of the show. About the show, I went to the band's website and saw that they are playing here. It stood to reason that you would be here tonight." He grins at Jensen, drinking from his bottle. "I tried to give you a call on my way from the airport to the concert, but it was turned off."

"Yeah, I always do that when I go to a show. I didn't do it once, and then it started to ring while I was on stage. Embarrassing much." Jensen's rueful look has Jared laugh amused, and he drapes his arm around Jensen's shoulder. It's a copy of Chris gesture earlier.

They find the band at a table in a corner, groupies and musicians all mixed together. Their approach is greeted with cheers and raised beer bottles. Chris raises his eyebrow at Jensen, nodding in Jared's direction as if to ask what the other is doing here.

"Hey guys, try to behave for a chance. We got a celebrity in the house tonight. A real one too, not like you guys." Jensen's teasing is rewarded with loud protesting by Chris, Steve and the other band members, and an elbow to the side by Jared.

"Who'd have thought that Jared Padalecki would ever come to one of our concerts?" The comment is spoken in jest, but Jensen can see the steel in Chris's eyes. His friend knows about Jensen's interest in Jared, and he seems to think it's his job to make sure that Jensen doesn't get hurt by Jared.

"It's actually not the first time that Jared's been to one of your shows." Somehow he feels like he's got to protect his new friend from his old ones. And he wants Chris and Steve to like Jared. It's important to him that the two of them approve of the actor.

"Is that so?" This time Chris's voice reflects a little bit of the steel in his eyes.

Thankfully, Steve comes to the rescue. "Take a seat, Jared. You too, Jensen."

The people around the table move closer together, and then there are two places for him and Jared. Jensen has Jared move in first. He wants to be the one sitting opposite Chris to make sure his friend doesn't scare Jared off.

"So, where did you see us?" Chris is still watching the newcomer like a hawk, but his tone of voice is neutral again. A small victory at least.

"It's a couple of years back, and you were in a bar in LA. I think it was called _The Salvage Yard_." Jared meets the Chris's eyes, smiling brightly. If he notices the other's hostility, he doesn't let on. "You were great back then, but today was way better. I didn't know that Jensen can sing."

The looks he gets make Jensen blush. He looks at the table and takes a long drink from his beer.

"Yeah, Jensen is a real songbird." Chris seems to like Jared better for the other complimenting Jensen's singing. Apparently everyone who thinks that Jensen is a good musician is okay in Chris's book.

"So, what are you doing in Dallas?" Steve's question has Jared start talking about promotional work in New York, and shooting schedules.

For some time there are stories about the movie Jared's currently working on. It's the one he did the Polar boot camp for, and Jensen gets updates about how Chad, Hayden, and the others are doing. When one of the girls at the table asks about how Jared and Jensen know each other, the stories about Alaska start, and soon the whole table is laughing about jokes and pranks they pulled during the boot camp.

Seeing Jared in the midst of his friends has Jensen wanting more. He watches and wishes that this wasn't a one time deal. But even if Jared shows up at more shows, what Jensen really wants he can't have. Looking across the table his eyes meet Chris stare, who seems to have been studying for some time.

There's an indeterminable look on his face. Almost as if he's not sure what to think. Jensen smiles at him, but the look stays there. A comment on his right has Jensen rejoin the story telling, and he tries his best to ignore Chris.

It's hours later that Jared announces he has to leave, and Jensen decides that it's time to go home as well. The excitement of performing, the shock of seeing Jared here, and the alcohol are slowly but steadily catching up to him. If he wants to be able to make it on his own from the cab to the house, he has to go now.

They say their goodbyes, Jared promising that he'll be there at the next show in LA, and Jensen calls a cab. Outside the night air is cool. It's not cold but after spending so much time inside the pub, sweating from the heat, the change in temperature feels good.

"So, I was wondering if you'll have the time to come to LA." Jared's eyes are gleaming in the light of the street lamp they are waiting at. "I'm shooting the next two months, and I'll be nowhere else during that time, that means that whenever you want to you can come and visit."

Jensen looks straight ahead. He has to go to LA shortly after Mac's graduation. He's meeting with David about the two latest projects of Adventure Ecology, but he's not sure if staying with Jared is such a good idea.

"If you have Dean with you, you can bring him with you as well. I know that Sadie and Harley would love to play with him." Jared seems to feel his reluctance to accept the offer. "Chad and the others would like to see you again as well."

Jensen doubts that the other actors have though about him at all. He knows that Jared is trying to make the idea of visiting even more appealing to Jensen. He feels bad about being such a jerk about accepting. Jared seems to really look forward to it.

"Well, since everyone seems to be pining for my person, I can't deny them my presence, can I?" He winks mischievously at Jared.

"Awesome." The smiles he receives is almost blinding in its wattage.

"I'm staying in Dallas until Mac's graduation, but the week after I have a couple of meetings with David in LA. Is that time alright with you?" A week at Jared's place shouldn't be too hard.

"It's perfect." Jared has this excited puppy air around him once more. The one he got every time they went to take care of the dogs. It's good to see him so happy.

The cab arrives and takes Jensen home before it drives away, taking Jared to the airport. After another look at the retreating car, Jensen walks up to the front door, and lets himself in. He's greeted by Dean and the dog smells Jared on his clothes, because he stares at the closed door as if expecting the other human to walk in as well.

"Sorry Dean, you'll have to wait some more before you can see Jared again." The words have the dog whine, but when no one opens the front door, he follows Jensen to his room.

Tired he just shrugs out of his clothes and curls up on the bed with Dean climbing in beside him.


	2. Chapter 2

The graduation is awesome, with his mum crying all the time, his brother whooping loudly when Mac's name is called (and embarrassing her in front of her friends), and Jensen and his Dad taking so many pictures that they'll be able to wallpaper the whole house with them.

Mackenzie proudly presents her diploma to them, almost vibrating with excitement. It's her day and they celebrate it accordingly. Their parents wanted to go to some fancy restaurant, but Mac put her foot down on having a barbeque at home with friends and families. She wants to share this day with all the people she loves.

Their mum compensated the missed out gourmet food with enough self-made dishes and deserts to feed all of Texas. Additionally, every female relative and all of Mac's friends bring food, and drinks as well, and soon there is a full on buffet going on.

The sunny weather and the great crowd turn the celebration into a real party. One of Mac's friend installs a projector and soon the pictures from the graduation ceremony are displayed in a slideshow on the facade of the garden shed (or at least what is already constructed of it). Later on, a couple of the neighbors show up, bringing some more food and congratulating Mac.

The festivities last well into the night. There are light chains in the trees and lanterns, and music, and laughter. So, when Jensen goes to bed around three in the morning he groans in anticipation of his alarm waking him two hours later. His flight to LA leaves at seven, and they have to arrive early to check Dean in.

Jensen's really tempted to switch off the alarm when it sounds, but he forces himself to roll out of bed, take a shower and take Dean for a short walk before they have to leave. His luggage is already packed, and he inhales a cup of coffee his mum hands him, all sleepy herself. Another cup and a stale bagel, and his dad drives him to the airport.

At this time of the day, there are not that many people. Jensen drags his bags towards the departures, Dean trailing after him, leashed and muzzled. The dog hates being restricted like this, but he's learned to endure it. They are traveling by plane far too often for him not to. His dad carries the plastic kennel that the husky has to stay in.

First Jensen checks in the luggage and then they head for the check in for Dean. They are lucky that they were able to get a flight that allowed dogs, booking only three weeks ago. Usually the dog would have to go into the cargo department, but since the flight is only half booked, Jensen gets to take Dean into the cabin with him.

He says his goodbye and his thanks, and human and dog head for their terminal. The husky is on his best behavior, staying close to Jensen and ignoring everything around him. They are the first ones to board the plane, the flight attendant helping with securing the kennel. Once Dean is inside and settled down, Jensen takes his seat next to the dog, and closes his eyes.

The take off is over in no time, and he dozes off, catching up on the missed sleep. Throughout the flight Dean is calm, sleeping most of the time as well. Only when the plane reduces its altitude and approaches for the landing, one of the flight attendants wakes Jensen up, and he buckles in.

The landing is not as smooth as the take off, but Dean doesn't react to the small turbulences. He patiently waits for everyone leave the plane, before Jensen opens the kennel door and the husky gets out. Jensen takes the plastic box with him, leading Dean off the plane and towards baggage claim.

The way to the exit is not that easy. The dog is fascinated by the moving sidewalk. More than once they have to stop at the beginning and the end, and Dean inspects the strange ground. When they arrive at the conveyor belt, most of their fellow passengers are already gone. Jensen got a trolley where he deposited the kennel on. He adds his bags, and they head out into the arrivals area.

Jensen called Jared and told him at what time they would arrive, but he knows that the other has a pretty tight schedule. It comes as a surprise then when someone calls his name.

"Jensen!" Jared's waving at him. He's towering a head over everyone else, and even wearing sunglass it's clear that he's been recognized by everyone. Heads are turning from him to Jensen at the call, wondering who the stranger is that is being picked up at the airport by Jared Padalecki.

Dean goes crazy at Jared's voice and pulls Jensen into the his direction, making it almost impossible to steer the trolley through the crowd of on-lookers. Jensen is tempted to just let go of the leash, but it's not allowed for dogs to run free inside he airport and so he fights Dean, and wrestles with the luggage.

Once they are at Jared's side, the husky jumps him, barking excitedly, if he wasn't muzzled, Jared would be the recipient of doggy kisses as well. The actor takes it all in stride, rubbing Dean's sides, scratching behind his ears and laughing happily.

"I think your dog missed me." The smiling makes Jared's eyes crinkle slightly in the corners.

"Just a little bit." Jensen grins stupidly at the picture that is Jared and Dean. He hands the leash over to Jared and finally gets a good hold on the trolley. "Lead on. We're collecting a crowd."

The comment has Jared hunch his shoulders. "Sorry, but I wanted to pick you up myself."

Jensen just nods. He follows dog and human through LAX airport. People turn to watch them pass by, and there are more and more curious looks Jensen gets. His presence is a mystery they don't know the answer to. The attention makes him nervous and he speeds his pace up, hurrying after Jared and his freakishly long legs.

They end up in the parking garage where Jared has a shining black GMC truck. The luggage and the kennel are stowed away and then everyone gets in, first Dean and then Jensen and Jared. The windows of the truck are tinted. Usually he would laugh about something like that but with the amount of people that have staring at them Jensen is grateful for the protection the glass represents.

The drive from the airport to Jared's home will take about an hour. It's sunny and hot outside, and Jensen can't wait to get something to drink, preferable water. After the party last night and the coffee in the morning he hasn't drunk anything else to keep him hydrated. At least Dean got water on the plane.

Ten minutes out of the airport parking, Jensen feels himself start to grow heavy. His body wants some more rest.

"How was the graduation yesterday?" Jared's question helps with concentrating on staying awake. Jensen rubs his eyes.

"It was awesome. And Mac was awesome, too. She's the most amazing little sister there is." The memories of Mac in her robe and hat, then hearing her name being read, make him smile in reminiscence. "And the barbeque transformed into a full blown neighborhood party. There was more food than even you could eat."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I the amount of food I eat is appropriate for a growing young man like myself." The comment has Jensen laugh.

"First of, you aren't growing anymore Jared, because you're already too old to be in that phase and you are too tall to grow even more. Second, you eat more food than anyone I know, and believe me Tom is a giant as well, and he doesn't eat half as much as you do." He turns his face towards Jared and grins at him. The sunlight shines in behind Jared's profile and makes it hard for Jensen to see anything.

"I don't believe you. Not about me no longer growing, and most of all not about that tall friend of yours eating less than me." The amused comeback has Jensen snort. Leave it to Jared to entertain of growing even taller.

"Whatever." He turns away from Jared again and looks out of his own window. The morning traffic is long past but there are still a lot of cars on the highway. In the distance he can make out houses and skyscrapers. The glass and steel glitters in the sunlight. "D'you have today off?"

"My schedule starts in the afternoon, and I have almost no scenes today. It's mostly shoots of my family back home and a couple of scenes with me trying to get the funding of the expedition." What Jensen doesn't understand is why they are shooting the movie if it takes place in the Polar Circle. "Chad has the day off."

He nods and continues watching LA pass by. "Is it any trouble if I stay at your house when you are on set?" The last he needs is security locking up because they think him to be some stalker or some burglar.

"No, it's cool. Jack, he's my bodyguard, and Bill, he's the head of security at the house, know about you, and they're instructed in letting you come and go as you wish." The first thing Jensen has to do though is to rent a car. He can't rely on Jared for driving him around. The actor is busy enough as it is. "Today I don't have that much time, but tomorrow is Saturday. I was thinking about brunch, and then I'll give you the tour of Hollywood."

"Hollywood boot camp?" Jensen teases.

"Dude, exactly like a Hollywood boot camp." Jared reaches for the car radio and switches it on. There are the news, and then the weather. Apparently it's going to be even hotter the coming days, with no reprieve in the nearer future. After that a catchy tune starts up.

Jensen closes his eyes and rests some more. Once they arrive at Jared's place he'll have to call David and get info on where they are meeting in the afternoon. Most likely some restaurant or café. He'll have to see if Dean and Jared's dogs get along, so that he can leave the husky behind when he heads out for the meeting.

Once they are off the highway the neighborhoods change, becoming increasingly secured and wealthy. There are gates and high walls and fences when they turn into Jared's street. It's rather closed off and impersonal. Jensen prefers the street his parents are living in, even the cramped living at the compound, to the caged feeling he gets from this neighborhood.

Jared turns into a driveway, passing a secured gate with a guy waving at them, and drives up to what Jensen would call a villa. The house is huge. All terracotta roofs, and white stucco walls. It's surrounded by a giant garden, and Jensen thinks he can make out the ocean in the distance.

"Here we are." That they are. He thinks about a reply to the comment but he's still dumbstruck by the sheer size of the property. Dean barks excitedly when he sees the garden, making Jensen move, and climb out of the car.

It's not like Jensen wasn't aware that Jared is a famous Hollywood star, and that he's rich, but facing that wealth in such a way, is more than a little intimidating. It's just not the kind of life he's used to. Even David, who most likely is ten times as rich as Jared, doesn't make Jensen feel like he's a poor slob. Mostly because he knows David only dressed like Jensen himself.

There is the sound of barking, and Jensen quickly grabs Dean's collar. He doesn't think that the dogs will attack each other, but better safe than sorry. The front door to the house opens, and two brown darts shoot out, crashing into Jared who's coming round the hood of the car to Jensen's side.

More barking and slobbering, and then the two dogs turn to the visitors. Dean strains against Jensen's hold. He's curious about the other dogs. Sadie and Harley excitedly dash at them, sniffing and nosing at the strangers. The husky tries to give back as good as he gets. It's difficult for him to check the other dogs out like he wants to, but he gets in his fair share of sniffing.

"You can let him go, Jensen. They'll be fine." Jared is next to him now. Smiling happily at the three dogs.

He decides to trust Jared's judgment, and unleashes Dean. With a bark the three are off, chasing around in the park-like garden.

"Let's get the bags and I'll show around the house." Jared is almost as excited as the dogs. He takes the luggage and makes for the open entrance. Jensen can only follow him, staring at the huge villa with respect. The entrance hall is spacious and light. Everything is clean and even though it generally looks like an interior designer helped with the design, bits and pieces that are pure Jared make sure that the room doesn't look impersonal. This seems true for all of the other rooms as well.

They walk up the stairs, down a corridor, take the first hallway on the left, turn right again, walk down some stairs, turn left and then they are at their destination. Jensen suddenly has this mental image of him getting lost in the house, and never making it out again.

"This is your room." Jared watches him expectantly as Jensen enters. It's a light room with modern furniture. There's an en-suite bathroom, and a glass sliding door that leads out onto a terrace, and into the garden.

Next to his own bed is a doggy bed for Dean. This small gesture has Jensen calm down and he smiles at Jared. "The room and the house are awesome, Jared. I like them." And he finds that he means it.

"Great. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous that you wouldn't like it here." And the mere fact that Jared was as nervous as Jensen walking around the house, makes it okay that Jensen will most likely get lost trying to find his way to the kitchen or the front door.

"Naw, I love it here." He opens the sliding door and walks out. He can hear Jared following him outside.

There is barking somewhere to their right, but the dogs are nowhere to be seen. The garden is a nice mix of grass and trees, and bushes and flowers. From the terrace he can see the cliffs and beyond that the sea. A path leads towards something that looks like stairs. Apparently the property has either a private beach or at least access to the beach.

"I take the dogs for a run at the beach each morning. It's the only time when it's really empty. In the evening we're mostly walking up the street. There's a small path up the hill to a great meadow. They love it there." Jared points out other features of interest, proudly talking about some tree or another, telling him about how he had the pool built. "Would you like something to eat? Breakfast is over, but maybe an early lunch?"

"Sure." His growling stomach reminding him of the single stale bagel he had for breakfast almost six hours ago. "Show me the way to the kitchen, Mr. Padalecki."

Jared shoves him lightly at the name, and then they return inside. Jensen thinks that they are returning the way they came from but somehow they end up somewhere else than he thought. There's no entrance hall, but there's a large kitchen with a middle aged woman bustling around. Her thick hair is wrought into a knot, and she's wearing a white apron.

"Hey Linda, d'you think we could maybe get something for lunch?" Jared is giving Linda the full monty, puppy eyes, innocent tone of voice and he even hunches down a little to look less like a giant. Jensen has to bite is tongue to keep from laughing at the pitiful picture he makes.

"Jared, stop that at once." His antics seem to be well known, and Linda just points at a stool at the breakfast counter, making him sit down obediently. "And you must be Jensen."

Suddenly Jensen feels the urge to slink over to the stool next to Jared. He holds out his hand, and wonders if his hair is mussed from sleeping on the plane and resting against the window in the car. "Jensen Ackles, ma'am."

This earns him a satisfied smile. "You've got manners. How refreshing. Jared's usual friends are not as civilized as you."

"Hey!" Jared's attempt of protesting is nipped in the bud, by a raised eyebrow, and she returns her attention back to Jensen.

"Hmm and you are rather good looking, as well." Linda's compliment has Jensen blush, and he starts squirming. He really wants to go to that stool and sit down next to Jared. "Go on then, sit down. I'll make you two boys something to eat."

It doesn't take long and they are served a mixture of breakfast and lunch. Jensen takes the first bite and almost groans with pleasure. This has to be the best food he's ever had. Piling some more on his plate (he has to make sure that Jared can't pile everything on his own), he digs in. "I know now why you like eating so much."

Linda smiles satisfied at him, and then she turns back to the stove, cleaning up the utensils she used in cooking their meal.

Once they are finished with eating, they say their thanks and Jared leads him outside in the search for their dogs. The three of them are playing around the pool. The area here includes not only the pool and a deck, but there's a barbeque and a pool bar as well, making this a perfect place to party.

While Jared chases the dogs around, Jensen fishes his phone out of his pocket, and gives David a call. They are to meet at four in the same café they've been to the last time. Next he's calling a cab company and orders a car for three o'clock. He'll just rent a car in town.

With everything taken care of Jensen follows the sound of laugher and barking, until he finds Jared and the dogs wrestling for a football. The leather is slobbered on, and the bite marks all over it, make it clear that it belongs to Sadie and Harley.

"You need some help with them?" His question is answered when Jared throws the ball at him, three dogs bounding after it.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thought Jensen has when he wakes up the next morning, is that he's in some kind of movie. Staring up at the white ceiling of his room, he thinks about his arrival in LA, and Jared's warm welcome. After Jared had left for work, Jensen had taken a quick shower and gotten himself ready to head out as well.

Danny, who's the guard on duty that day, chatted with Jensen while he'd been waiting for the cab to show up. From what the guy had told Jensen, Jared is the best employer there is.

The drive into town had been hot and uneventful, and he arrived at the café with a couple of minutes to spare. He picked a table outside, and waited for the others to join him. One after another the AE team members had arrived, and the next couple of hours were spent discussing possible future projects, funding and promotion ideas, and possible co-operations.

Afterwards Jensen rented a SUV. The car makes him look like a soccer mum. But the size of the trunk made the decision easy, if he really wants to, he can load all three dogs into the car. So, style has to take the backseat, and utility is what counts.

Jared had a long day at the set. A change in the shooting schedule, and more scenes for his character than originally intended had him stay out until well into the night. By the time he returned, Jensen was already asleep.

Now, it's Saturday and they have brunch planned for today. Jensen rolls on his side and glances at his wrist watch. It's seven thirty, and Jared mentioned something about leaving at nine. It suddenly occurs to him that Dean's not in the room, and Jensen is sure that the husky settled down with him last night.

Dean had ignored the doggy bed, jumping onto the one Jensen was sleeping in, and no amount of scolding and protesting had convinced him to do otherwise. So in the end Jensen had let the dog stay where he was, hoping that his claws wouldn't tear any of the thousand thread cotton sheets. He's sure he can't afford replacing them.

He can't hear any barking, or other indications of the dogs' whereabouts, and so he gets up, and heads for a shower. Jensen makes it quick, eager to find out where Dean disappeared to. Picking the discarded pair of jeans he wore the day before, and a clean t-shirt, he heads out.

For a moment he panics when he takes a wrong turn and ends up in a hallway he's sure he hasn't seen before, but the smell of coffee and toasted bread, helps him navigate through corridors and staircases to the kitchen where he finds Linda.

"Morn'n'." He climbs the stool at the breakfast counter. His greeting is met with a look at the way he slouches on the stool, and a cup of steaming coffee is placed right in front of him. "You are my goddess."

Linda chuckles amused at the blissful look that crosses Jensen's face. "Sleep well?"

He nods and sips the hot beverage, careful not to burn his lips or his tongue. "In those sheets one can only sleep well." Jensen looks around for any sign of the dogs or of Jared, but there is none. "Where are Sadie, Harley, and Dean?"

"They are at the beach. Jared went for his run." She puts a glass of OJ next to his cup of coffee.

"He got up this early after a long night?" Jensen thinks back at some of the mornings at the boot camp, when Jared had stumbled into Jensen's room just to fall facedown onto his bed.

"He set his alarm and all." She smiles amused at Jensen. "Seemed really motivated to get ready for your brunch date."

The word _date_ in combination with him and Jared makes him squirm in his seat. It's too close to what he wants, to not make him uncomfortable. He doubts that Jared referred to their plans for this day in such a way.

After downing the rest of the coffee and the orange juice, Jensen thanks her for them, and heads out to the beach. He never went down yesterday, but he remembers how to get there. Walking through the garden he enjoys the fresh morning air. It's balmy, and there's already a hint of the heat it will get during the day, but at the moment the temperature is alright.

The stairs are partially carved into the rocks, and partially mounted on them. He carefully climbs them down, wary about them being slippery in the morning. The beach at the bottom is golden and soft. Jensen slips out of his shoes and walks barefoot. He sinks into the cool grains with every step he takes.

He looks the stretch of the beach up and down, searching for Jared and the dogs. To the left he can make out four figures moving. One of them parts from the group and heads towards Jensen. The blurry shape becomes clearer and it soon is clear that the white and black dog bounding towards him is Dean.

Jensen stops his approach and waits for the dog to reach him. The husky jumps him and knocks him over. Dean yips and barks excitedly. For a dog who loves snow and ice, he likes the sand well enough. Jensen sits up, which is a rather difficult feat when being run over by two other dogs. With his attention on Dean, he never saw Harley and Sadie catch up to their new canine friend.

Laughing, he pets the dogs who happily rub against him. The two brown dogs are taller than Dean and Harley is even more muscle than Sadie. But in the end they have nothing on Sammy, and after dealing with the hyperactive Alaskan malamute Jensen knows how to reign dogs in.

By the time he's up and has most of the sand brushed off, he can hear Jared calling out to him. He looks up from perusing his clothes, and watches the other jog up to him. Jared is grinning and he calls out to the dogs that are chasing around in the surf.

"I thought about waking you up when I got Dean, but since you can't jog with me, I decided to let you get some more beauty sleep in." The teasing has Jensen kick sand at the laughing Jared.

"Asshole." The insult loses all of its offense when Jensen grins broadly at him though.

Jared drapes his sweaty arm around Jensen's shoulder and leans on him. "Ah, you like me, I know you do. All those insults are veiled declarations of undying love."

The words are spoken in jest but they're cutting a little bit too close to home for Jensen. He forces himself to laugh it off together with Jared. He hopes that it doesn't come over as fake. Apparently he masked his feelings well because Jared doesn't comment on it, just steers him towards the stairs that lead back up to Jared's house.

The five of them return to the villa. Inside Jared tries to get a glass of milk without Lisa noticing, but she smacks his fingers when he thinks he's in the safe. Muttering he shakes them out and pouts theatrically at her.

"Sit down and drink from a glass like every other civilized person. Do I have to talk with your mum again about your manners?" This has Jared obediently sit down and wait for the glass Lisa pours for him.

Jensen just grins at the two of them and leans against the door jamb, watching Jared squirm on the stool, eager to be off, and Lisa pin him into place with her eyes. After he's finished with the milk, Jared pushes the empty glass around in front of him, as if he's waiting for permission to leave. The okay is given in the form of Lisa taking the dirty glass, and turning her back to him.

In a second Jared is up and drags Jensen away from the kitchen. "Never hand the telephone number of you mum to you housekeeper."

The advice is given to him in a hushed tone. Although Jensen knows that he'll never have a housekeeper he nods his agreement. He hurries after Jared who strides through the house towards where Jensen supposes his bedroom is. He's surprised when they end up in the same corridor Jensen's room is in.

"I'll just take a quick shower, and then we can leave. If we get there early, we can eat more." This is an important argument with Jared, who can get extremely grumpy if he's not properly fed.

"Okay." Jensen goes to his own room. He needs to change his clothes after his roll in the sand with the dogs. He steps out of the jeans and puts others on. It's not like Jensen wears a lot of other pants. A new shirt and he's ready to leave. Jared said that the place they're going to is low key so he doesn't have to worry about dress code.

Since they'll be touring Hollywood and whatever else Jared deems of importance, Jensen decides to take his camera with him. Usually he avoids being a tourist but this time with his own tour guide he simply has to play his part.

There's a knock at his door, and Jensen grabs his shades and a hat, and opens the door. Jared is waiting for him, dressed in jeans and shirt himself, his hair still wet from the shower.

"Ready to go?" At this Jensen holds up his camera and smiles. "Really?"

"You bet." He tucks the camera into his pocket and looks at Jared expectantly. He's ready, the touring can begin.

They say their goodbye to Lisa on their way out. Jared refuses to take the SUV Jensen rented, claiming that it would wreck his reputation he's working so hard to cultivate. So they get into the truck, and leave for their first stop of the day, brunch.

Jensen watches the houses and the neighborhoods change as they head back to the highway. The drive to the restaurant takes about forty-five minutes, and then they spend almost twenty minutes looking for spot to park the car. In the end they have to walk six blocks from the car to the restaurant. It's a nice day though and Jensen doesn't mind the exercise.

The restaurant looks unimpressive from the street. A white building with an average front door, it almost looks like a residential building. Inside there's a reception desk, and Jared walks up to it. He's got a reservation under his name. The girl directs them to their table, and Jensen looks around as they walk through the restaurant outside onto the deck.

They are seated close to the railing, the beach right next to them. There's a long buffet along the house wall and waiters in pants and t-shirts carry pitchers with water and OJ to the tables. Even though Jensen recognized Bruce Willis sitting at one table with his family, including Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, he doesn't feel out of place.

After placing their order of coffee, they make for the buffet. Jensen peruses the assorted selections and then he takes a plate and piles his choices onto it. One look at Jared shows that his eating behavior doesn't vary from his behavior in Alaska. Carrying two plates and a small bread basket, Jared is stockpiling food, and carrying back to their table.

Two carafes with their coffee are already there, and there's small pitcher of milk as well. Jensen prepares himself a cup, and pours a glass of juice. Then he starts eating. The food is delicious and he readily agrees with Jared that this place was a perfect choice.

It takes them two and a half hours until they are finished with eating, and drinking their coffee and juice. The day has gotten considerably hotter, and Jensen is really thankful for the awning that prevents them from sitting in the open sun. A soft breeze is wafting from the water to the deck they are sitting on, carrying on it the smell of salt water and sunshine.

Since their arrival more and more celebrities Jensen usually sees only on posters or on pictures in the media. He's sure that most of the other people he doesn't recognize are famous as well, but with him not following gossip, or any celebrity news at all, he's unaware of it.

When Jensen wants to pay for his part of the brunch, Jared waves him off, claiming that it's the price for Jensen having to put up with a grumpy Jared every morning for four weeks. At this Jensen can't protest, but he makes Jared offer that he gets to pay for the next meal they eat.

From the restaurant they walk back to the car, and Jared drives them to the studio he's working at. He gives Jensen a tour of the premises, showing him indoor stages, outdoor areas for shooting, explains to him the process of making a movie, and introducing him to dozens of people they meet. Jensen can't help but enjoy their excursion. Even if he won't remember a fraction of the people he's being introduced to, and if he doesn't get the appeal of playing a character in front of fake landscapes, he gets to see Jared in his natural environment, and if Jared is a bright person in everyday life, he starts to truly shine here.

Last stop at the studio is the set for Jared's current movie. They meet Chad and Hayden in front of their trailers, on a break from their work. The two of them had been called in for some retakes. The girl throws herself at Jensen and immediately starts babbling about this and that, half of the things he doesn't understand because of the sheer amount of information and the speed she's talking in.

Chad whines at Jensen but surprises the both of them when he gives Jensen a hug. They pretend that nothing out of the ordinary happened, but Jared's grinning broadly at them.

Once the two actors are called back in front of the camera, Jared and Jensen head out. Next stop will be Hollywood Boulevard but first they're going for ice cream. Driving to a garage, they leave the car behind and walk to a small ice cream parlor that has according to Jared the '_best ice cream in the universe_'.

This time it's Jensen buying (he suspects Jared to have manipulated him so that he can pay for their dinner), and then they are strolling down the sidewalk, Jared pointing out shops and other places of interest, as they are eating their ice cream.

The rest of the day they spend visiting museums, seeing the _Walk of Fame_, and they take a tourist bus that drives them around. They don't listen to the guide, but Jared tells Jensen everything there's to know about what they are passing by. Afterwards, they have dinner at a pub right off Hollywood Boulevard.

By the time they are returning to the car it's getting dark, and Jensen is beat. He's used to physical work, and walking for miles through snow and ice, but a day in the sun, listening to Jared nonstop, and trying to pay attention and remember what he's being told, is more than he can handle. Sometime during their walk around the Boulevard his ankle started to ache, and now he's glad that he'll get to sit down.

During their drive back to the house Jensen is quiet and he almost falls asleep. His skin feels incredibly hot, and he's sure that were he to look into a mirror his face would be covered with freckles. He hates that he can't tan like a normal person.

After a day of talking Jared seems to be all talked out, he switches on the car radio and they listen to some chart list until they arrive at the villa. Their return is greeted with excitement by the dogs. There's a bulky guy standing in the entrance, watching them.

"Jack! Come on over and meet Jensen!" So this is the bodyguard Jared told him about. He had been surprised that the man hadn't been around the last two days, but apparently Jared only takes him with him to public events. Never to work or private outings.

Jack joins them and shakes Jensen's hand. His grip is strong and Jensen has to fight the urge to wince. He thinks he can hear his bones cracking in his hand. But the man is smiling friendly at him. Apparently his grip is just that tight, and he isn't trying to intimidate Jensen.

"Nice to meet you." Jack's voice is surprisingly soft. Looking like Vin Diesel or Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Terminator days, one would expect something more gravelly.

"Likewise." Jensen can't help rubbing his hand once it's freed from the tight grip.

Jared is completely engrossed in the dogs, and so both him and Jack watch the actor clown around with his babies and Dean.

"I bet you missed me, guys." At his comment Jack chuckles and glances over at Jensen. The way Jared fusses over the dogs is kind of amusing. "I'll make it up to you. We'll go on an extra-long run tomorrow morning."

The answer he gets is excited barking and the dogs chasing off into the garden. Only when they are gone from sight, Jared redirects his attention to the human company next to him.

Jack just shakes his head and walks back to the house, and leaves Jared and Jensen to follow him inside. In the living room (at least Jensen thinks of it as the living room) Chad is waiting for them. He's playing Halo Wars on the huge TV, completely ignoring them until his character is shot onscreen.

This is when he turns around and starts complaining. "Dude, you're bad for my karma."

Jared just rolls his eyes at the blonde and plops down onto the couch to watch Chad's progress. For a moment Jensen keeps lingering in the back, unsure of what to do. He's doesn't play video games, and never has been interested in them either. In the end he goes to the kitchen and gets drinks for all three of them (Jack has disappeared again).

Back with Chad and Jared he hands them their drinks and settles in to watch them play the game. Even if he can't understand their fascination with it, he enjoys their banter.


	4. Chapter 4

When his phone rings and wakes him up Jensen is momentarily confused about his whereabouts.. The ringing continues, and he untangles himself enough to be able to reach for the cell blinking and vibrating on the night stand. Chris's name on the display surprises him, and he picks up curious as to why his friend calls him at this time of the day.

"Chris?" His voice is rough with sleep. Jared and Chad had played for a long time, and it had been around one when Jensen had taken his leave from the two, and made for his bed.

"Dude, what is going on out there in LA?" The accusing tone of voice freezes him. He doesn't understand why Chris is this confrontational. Most of all, he can't understand what he's referring to.

"What are you talking about?" He slowly sits up and rubs over his eyes. The morning light is filtering through the blinds and bathing the room in twilight.

"What am I talking about? I'm talking about fucking paparazzi showing up and asking me about your and Jared fucking Padalecki's relationship." At this Jensen's heart stops for a second. There's the feeling of ice cold dread stabbing into him.

"What are you talking about, Chris?" His voice is tight with the growing panic. Jensen gets up from the bed but has to sit down again. He closes his eyes, hoping that when he opens them again, everything will only be a bad dream.

"Fuck, Jensen, you and Padalecki made the headlines in all the gossip rags. There's talk about you having moved in with him, and there are pictures of the two of you, and of the dogs, and… Jensen, what is going on?" His friend sounds less angry and more concerned now.

"I'm just visiting. He invited me to stay with him while I'm in town with AE. I told you about it and you told me that I'm unnecessarily torturing myself." The panicky feeling is stronger now, but Jensen forces himself to calm down again. "I don't know what you read or what they said, but it's bullshit."

"Usually I would agree with that, but I know how you feel about Jared Padalecki. Promise me, Jensen, that you won't do anything stupid, and be that idiot's gay rebound or anything." If the idea of Jared rebounding with Jensen wasn't that stupid, Jensen would make that promise in a heartbeat, so the only reaction to his friend's words is laughter. "Jensen!"

"Dude, chill out. First off, there's nothing to rebound from, and second, why would he ever want to use me for that. He doesn't even like guys." Jensen once more laughs about the sheer idea of Jared coming on to him. It's ridiculous.

"Promise me, Jensen." Chris's voice is getting steely again. He's serious about it, and he wants Jensen to be on the same page as him.

"I promise, Chris." It's any easy enough thing to do, since it's unrealistic anyway.

"No fooling around, giving in to his charms, or letting the guy walk all over your." Jensen appreciates his friends worry about him. Even if it's unfounded.

"Nothing of it, I promise you that I'll keep on pining silently, and refuse any advances from my lecherous host." Even though he's being sarcastic, he knows that Chris can read between the lines.

"Just, you know." Yeah, _be careful_. "Don't be an idiot."

"Thanks." Jensen walks to the bathroom, and switches on the lights. He squints a little and then he walks up to the shower. "I'll call you."

"Do that." He knows that Chris will be calling again if he doesn't. "Bye."

"Bye." He sets the phone aside and strips, stepping into the shower, and letting the lukewarm water wash away the last remnants of sleep, and the shock of Chris's call.

Afterwards he towels himself dry and puts on some fresh clothes. When he steps out of his room, the house is all quiet. Just like yesterday Dean is nowhere to be found, and Jensen knows that he'll find him with Jared and his dogs down at the beach. After the news he just received he doesn't know if Jared is the first person he wants to see in the morning. He's got to sort through everything and deal with it before that.

So, the kitchen is his first stop. He finds himself navigating the way through the house without hesitation. Apparently he can get used to huge villas.

Linda is standing in front of the stove, and there's the smell of eggs, and toast and coffee. He pads into the room and heads for his stool at the breakfast counter.

"Morning." At his greeting she turns around, carefully scanning his face, as if she's looking for something. His stomach drops. She knows. She's read the articles about him and Jared and now she doesn't like him. Jensen decides that the kitchen wasn't a good place to start the day.

"Morning." She pours a cup of coffee and sets it down in front of him. Next follow a glass of OJ, and scrambled eggs with some toasted bread. Instead of turning back to what she had been working, Linda stays standing there, facing him, her arms crossed over her chest.

Jensen doesn't know how to proceed. He's no longer interested in the food or the coffee; it would only make him vomit. His stomach is too nervous right now. The tension has him hunch his shoulders and stare at the full plate in front of him. He toys with his cutlery, pushing the fork around.

When he doesn't say anything, Linda sighs heavily and takes the fork he's been playing with. She puts it on the plate with the food and moves everything even closer to him. "Eat something."

He reacts instinctively, grabbing the fork, but then he doesn't want to load it with any food. He really has no appetite anymore.

"Jensen, eat something. Stop being so melodramatic, and eat some breakfast." She huffs with indignation. "If you want to be a friend of Jared, you have to grow a thicker skin. There will always be people talking shit about him, about you, and about him and you. This is not the end of the world."

Her words calm him somewhat down. He takes a bite from the dry toast and has a fork of scrambled eggs. "It's good."

His mumbled compliment is ignored for some more advice.

"Let me tell you something. I haven't seen this boy relaxed and happy in years. The whole movie business, and the end of his relationship with Sandy were, and still are, hard on him, even if he pretends it's not. So, when he returned from Alaska, all upset because he had to leave his best friend," at that Jensen looks up stunned, "yes, he said best friend. He really missed you and the dogs. For days it was Jensen this, Dean that. He needs all the moral support he can get, and I think that you like him as well."

The only problem is that Jensen likes Jared differently than Jared likes Jensen. He enjoys being friends with him, but the truth is that he has stronger feelings than mere friendship. Even if he's well aware that nothing can come from them, the longing will always be there. Has been there since high school.

Jensen looks back at his breakfast but nods his agreement. He can't bring himself yet to say what she wants to hear. After Chris's warning, and her advice, he has to find his centre again. At the moment he feels like he's being tossed around by everything that's happening.

"Just, don't let something like this get to you. He's a person the public is interested in, and as such there will always be someone watching what he does, interpreting what they are seeing." With this she turns away from him again, and continues puttering around.

Now that she's no longer staring at him, Jensen can look up again. The reason why this gets to him, even if Linda says that it shouldn't, is that Jensen is just not used to it. Back at school, when he was invisible, something like being targeted by the media never even occurred to him in his wildest dreams. Even later on with his publicity work for AE, the only interest magazines and documentaries had was the mission, the project, never Jensen Ackles.

With this sudden focus on his person, Jensen feels threatened, more like cornered. Like people are pointing at him, and judging who he is and what he does. He really doesn't like this feeling.

Even though he tries his best, he can only eat a small portion of the food Linda had prepared for him, and then he says his goodbye and heads for the beach. Maybe talking to Jared about the situation is the best thing to do. With him being a famous star, he's much more experienced with situations like the one Jensen finds himself in.

It's cooler than the day before. When he reaches the sand, Jensen walks into the direction Jared and the dogs had come from the day before. A strong breeze blows sand against his feet, and he checks the sky for storm or rain clouds. There are flimsy white clouds that look more like torn shreds than full and fluffy cotton balls.

Jensen continues walking down the beach , closer to the surf. Some of the waves lap at his feet, wetting them just enough that the sand can stick to them.

Where the rocks reach into the water, a thin path trails up and into a wooded area. Jensen sits down on a boulder at the bottom of the path and looks out over the sea. He doesn't sit there for long before he can hear the sound of barking. Soon after that, Dean appears at the top of the rocks. When he sees Jensen, he yips happily and runs towards him.

The dog jumps up, covering Jensen's face with kisses, showing him that he missed his human. There's the sound of more barking and then Harley and Sadie are at his feet, slinking around, unsure if they are allowed to jump Jensen as well. He pats his chest, and Harley is all over him, excited and happy.

"Careful, once you let them, they'll never stop slobbering all over you." Jared is the last one to come down the path. He's flushed from the exercise, and his t-shirt is sticking to his chest. There is a cautious look in his eyes, and he seems hesitant to meet Jensen's gaze.

"Have a good run?" Apparently Jared is not as sure about the situation as Jensen thought he would be. Truth is he had expected Jared to joke about it, and tell Jensen that he shouldn't worry about the articles and the rumors.

"Yeah, we ran the longer route." When Jared starts to squirm he decides to put an end to this awkwardness.

"We're friends, right?" His question is answered by enthusiastic nodding. "Let's just forget about the fucked up start of this day."

"Awesome." And just like that Jensen has done two things. He's given Jared an out, allowing him to forget about the hubbub without having to talk about it, and he's made it even harder for himself to be honest about his feelings for Jared. In the end though, knows that it is the best solution.

"D'you have to work today?" Jared is sitting down next to him. The body heat is welcome warmth against the cooling breeze.

"Yeah, I have to head over to the studio in the afternoon. It's going to be a night shoot." They stay on the boulder for some more time, not talking, just watching the dogs chase around, occasionally bounding up to them to try and coax either Jared or Jensen into joining their game.

When Jensen starts to shiver from the fresh breeze, because even someone used to arctic temperatures needs warmer clothes than a thin t-shirt, they head back to the house. Linda is no longer in the kitchen, but a huge pot is simmering on the stove, the smell of soup scenting the air.

Jared wants to take a shower, and Jensen needs a sweater or a warmer shirt, so they head to the bedrooms. While Jared is busy getting clean, Jensen checks his cell phone, and finds three missed calls (Steve, Mike, and Gabe) and five messages (Chris, Mac, Josh, Mac, and Danneel). Apparently today's gossip headlines made it even to Alaska.

Since his sister left two very colorful demands of an explanation, Jensen decides to call her first. After putting on a thin sweater he sits down on the bed, and calls Mac. The phone doesn't even ring twice before it's picked up.

"Jensen?" Mac's voice is a little bit muted by the phone's connection, but even so her volume has him cringe.

"Hi, Mac." He doesn't even get the chance to say any more.

"What the heck is going on with you and Jared Padalecki?" She sounds worried, confused and indignant. The mix is rather amusing.

"Nothing is going on. I told you that he invited me to stay at his place while going to LA, and a couple of photographers took pictures of us while he was playing tour guide." There's the sound of scratching at the door, followed by a low whine. He gets up and lets Dean into the room, closely followed by Jared's dogs.

The three of them jump onto the bed and curl around Jensen when he sits down again.

"A friend called me at night and told me to check this online article out. She said that it says that you and Jared are a couple." More confusion now.

"I haven't seen the pictures or read the article, but I can assure you that whatever they wrote is not true." Dean buries his nose in Jensen's crotch and closes his eyes. "Jared and I are friends. Besides, Jared's straight. Why should he go on a date with a guy?"

"How should I know?" Mac is getting more worked up again. "The first article I saw was all '_who's the stranger with Jared Padalecki_', but someone must have recognised you and done some really quick research. Suddenly there's talk about _the openly gay environmental activist_. And then there are rumors about a secret long term relationship."

"Mac, calm down. It's all crap and you know it." Jensen closes his eyes and wonders what his friends and family must be thinking about him. "I met Jared when he and his colleagues were sent to the station for the boot camp, and he left after four weeks, during which nothing happened, we're just friends."

"But they know about you and him going to the same school." There's the sound of people talking in the background.

"Are mum and dad with you?" Talking to his parents is the one thing Jensen fears the most. It's not about him being gay, because his parents know about that since he referred to one of the men on a photo he took at an expedition, as _his partner_. After a short discussion and some explanations it had been clear, what exactly the term _partner_ entailed.

"No, I'm at Josh's. He wants to talk with you." Josh is the next person on the list of people he doesn't want to talk about this mess.

"Okay, hand me over." There is the rustle of the phone being passed form one person to the other, and then Josh's voice is filling his ear.

"What's up, little brother?" Jensen knows that the innocent question is only a lead-in for the real talk Josh wants to have. Deciding to stop beating around the bush, he goes for the horns.

"How bad is it? Be honest." Jensen can hear Jared talking in the corridor. He thinks he recognises Jack as the other person outside.

"Well, so far I have never had anything of the likes to compare it to. Mum called me in the morning. Apparently Mrs. Burns saw a picture of you and Jared on TV. It was in the god damned morning show." At least Josh doesn't sound angry. But Jensen knows that all the questions and looks his family must be getting is weighing on them. "At eight a news reporter showed up at my door and asked for a comment. I just closed the door in his face. That was before I even knew what's going on."

It's even worse than Jensen feared. His siblings and his parents are being harassed because they can't get to Jensen himself.

Somehow he's glad that Chris called him so early, because otherwise he wouldn't even have known about the chaos that's raging outside the world of casa Padalecki. It's like behind the estate's security gate you're living in a different time zone.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I never wanted this to happen." Somehow that makes it sound like something's actually going on. "Not like anything happened to begin with."

"You should call mum and dad and let them know that you're alright. They're worried." Jensen promises that he will. Even though he fears talking to them, he knows that he can't ignore the predicament they are in because of him.

"How's Sara taking it?" And with that Josh tells him about how his wife had squealed excitedly upon reading the articles about Jensen and Jared's secret love life. The longer Jensen listens to his brother talking, the calmer he gets. It's good to have Josh on his side.

When the call is over and Jensen stares at the dark display of his cell phone, he takes one, two, three deep breaths and dials the land line of his parent's house. It rings three times and then his mum picks up.

"Ackles?" She sounds tired, like she didn't get any sleep at all. At once Jensen feels even guiltier about the whole situation.

"Hi mum!" His greeting takes her by surprise, there's the sound of her taking a deep breath.

And then she softly whispers into the phone, "Jensen."


	5. Chapter 5

When Jared has to leave for work in the early afternoon, Jensen can't help feeling relieved. It's not like Jared does anything to make things more difficult, or especially hard on him, but his mere presence is too much stress for Jensen at the moment.

His call to his parents had been much easier than he had expected it to be, even though his mum had only stopped asking after Jared Padalecki, once Jensen made her promise to talk about anything but the big scandal that's him and the actor.

Now that he finds himself alone with only Linda working somewhere around the house, and the dogs to keep him company, he decides to do some more damage control. There have been a couple of more calls from his friends throughout the day, one message even from David, asking if he was alright, and even some calls from strangers (most likely press) who wanted to ask questions. How they had gotten his phone number he doesn't know.

He scrolls though his list of ingoing calls, selects Mike's name and dials his friend's number. Like with everyone today, Mike picks up almost immediately. He's kind of breathless, like he'd been running to the phone.

"Jensen." Some more gulps for breath follow his name.

"Hey there, Mike." Jensen has to admit that he misses talking to his friends from college. At least for this the whole affair is being helpful. "I guess you have been reading that nonsense about me and some big ass movie star as well."

"Reading, hearing, and seeing." Two more pants and then he's got his breathing under control again. "And not any star as well. Isn't Padalecki the guy you were hung up about in high school? How did that come about?"

And here he went again. He had been explaining about his and Jared's past (ancient and current), a couple of times already today. "Yeah, we went to the same high school. And before you ask again, yes, I had a crush on him. But, Mike, there's nothing going on between him and me. He was sent to the Alaska base for some Polar boot camp, to help with preparing for a movie, and we got to be friends. It's all very kids-rated."

"So where do the pictures fit in?" Yeah, those stupid photos, Jensen still hasn't seen himself.

"Well, when I went to Texas for Mac's graduation, he invited me to visit him. With having to go to LA anyway for the AE meeting, I accepted. We were just hanging out, him playing tour guide and showing me Hollywood." Jensen wonders how he couldn't have thought about paparazzi. It's the one thing you do know about stars, even someone like him does know that, they are being followed everywhere by the press.

"Dude, this is a mess. The press is making this out into some super secret love affair. They are even saying that you are the reason for the guy's break-up with his fiancée." Just when Jensen thinks that it can't get worse, something like this happens.

"What?" He asks flustered.

"Yeah, on one of those celebrity gossip sites, they say that he has been cheating on her with men during their relationship, and that her finding out about it was the reason why the wedding was called off. With the pictures of you and him, they're assuming that you are the guy who's responsible for all of it." Things are getting way more out of hand by the minute, and Jensen suddenly realises that he has to leave. He can't stay a minute longer.

"Mike, what am I supposed to do?" There's panic creeping into his voice.

"First of all, calm down. People will assume what they want to. There's nothing you can do about that." If it only were that easy. Jensen just wants to be back in Alaska, sitting in his closet office and file papers, even three days of data entering sound appealing right now. "And then I want you to get your ass up here to San Francisco. We haven't seen your ugly mug for far too long."

The teasing has him smile. He could use some friends now. "I have Dean with me, and there's no way I can get a flight in such a short notice. If I'm driving up there, I won't be with you before nightfall. How long does it take?"

"About six hours, maybe add another hour for traffic." There is someone talking to Mike, and then he's gone and Tom's on the phone.

"Hey, Jensen. Just come up here. It doesn't matter if you arrive at eight, or nine, or ten. Eleven is no problem either. Just come." To hear his friends being there for him, and wanting to help makes this an easy decision.

"Okay, I'll have to round up Dean and pack a bag, but I should be able to leave by three thirty, four the latest. Prepare for a long wait though." He grins as he gets up and starts to one-handed pack a bag for his impromptu trip to San Francisco. Quickly he tosses shirts, pants, underwear, and some toiletries into the duffle, adding Dean's leash and muzzle just in case.

"Don't worry. We are both on holiday the next two weeks, and we could use some excitement. Your mad dash from the paparazzi to our humble abode is just what we need." The amusement in Tom's voice has Jensen chuckle. In the back he can hear Mike saying, "Tell him that we have food for the fur face."

"I heard Mike. Thanks guys." With his bag packed, he puts on his shoes and goes searching for the dog. "I'll give you a call once I'm on my way."

"You do that." With that their call ends, and Jensen roams the garden, calling for Dean.

He finds the husky sleeping curled up with Sadie and Harley. When Jensen calls him, he ignores him the first couple of times, only when Jensen's tone grows harder, does he get up, slinking despondently over to him. His eyes send him a look that accuses Jensen of horrifying torture.

"Now don't give me that look. We're going to visit Tom and Mike, and you've been spoilt rotten these past days." Obediently the dog follows him inside, and Jensen gets his bag.

On his way out, he comes across Linda, who looks up in surprise at seeing him with Dean and the duffle. After a second her eyes grow hard and she looks at him accusingly.

"It's not what you think it is. My friends in San Francisco asked me to visit and with Jared busy the next couple of days, I thought it might be a good idea to go. I'll be back in one or two days." He has to fight the urge to squirm.

"And he knows?" At this Jensen cringes.

"He's working right now, but I'll call him once the shooting is over." Jensen knows that it's a shitty thing to do, to leave without telling Jared beforehand but it's not like he planned to do so. Dean whines, sensing the tension between Linda and Jensen. "Linda, I swear me and Jared are alright, and I'll be back on Wednesday latest, because he asked me to come on set with him, meet the dogs they are using on the show. I just want to see my friends, I haven't in a very long time."

She knows that he also wants to get away from the madness here in LA, even it's only for a short time, but Jensen's words and his pleading look, has her relax somewhat and she gives him a nod.

"You need something for the road? Drink or food?" Her offer of help makes him feel even more guilty for leaving, but he really needs the distance right now.

"That would be real nice." He follows her to the kitchen where she gets the sandwich stuff out of the fridge and prepares a bag of food for Jensen. Together with the sandwiches she adds crisps, pie, and bottled water.

Once everything is finished she helps him pack everything into the car. The SUV is spacious enough in the back to allow Jensen to install the kennel, into which Dean reluctantly climbs. Jensen adds a dish with water, and locks the door. The duffle goes onto the front seat, with the food bag on top of it. He checks that everything's alright and says his goodbye from Linda.

Climbing into the car, Jensen turns around a last time and checks on Dean. Reassured that the husky is lying down, already dozing calmly, he straps the seat belt on, shoves his sunglasses on his face and starts the car.

It's Danny who lets him out through the gate, and he waves friendly at Jensen as he drives through. Outside the gate a couple of cars are parked with photographers on the street, snapping pictures of him leaving.

Jensen wishes for Jared's truck with the tinted windows, and steps on the gas, trying to leave them behind as quickly as possible. In the rear view mirror he can see Danny walking up to the paparazzi, telling them to leave, but they refuse to be budged.

The cooler temperature today makes the drive rather comfortable. Once he's on the highway out of LA, heading north, Jensen rolls down the window, and lets some fresh air in. He's got the radio on a classic rock station, and taps the beat of the songs on the steering-wheel, occasionally singing along.

Three hours into their journey, he pulls up at a fill up joint, letting Dean out of the kennel and walking him around for a couple of minutes. Once the dog is back in the car, Jensen climbs in and the drive continues. They are making good time, and Jensen thinks that he should arrive around ten at Mike's and Tom's.

Halfway to San Francisco, he calls Jared's phone. He knows that the other is probably working right now, but he leaves him a message, telling Jared to call when he's on a break. After that he eats one of he sandwiches and drinks some water.

They are one and a half hours out of San Francisco when Jensen's cell rings, Jared's ID on the display. Jensen picks up, wedging the phone between his cheek and his shoulder. He knows that he should use the headset, but it's somewhere in the duffle bag.

"Jared?" He can hear laughter on the other end of the line. It sounds like Hayden and Chad are having fun.

"Hey Jensen, you left me a message. So, I'm calling you back like you asked me to." Jared sounds amused, and suddenly Jensen wishes he was there as well. He could use some laughter as well.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm visiting Mike and Tom in San Francisco. They called and invited me to come up there. I'll be with them for a day or two." At his words there is silence at Jared's end.

"You're going to San Francisco? When?" Jared doesn't sound as amused anymore, but his voice is neutral at least.

"I'm already on my way there. Will be arriving in about one or two hours. I just wanted to let you know, that you aren't surprised when I'm not there in the morning." He feels like such a heel. "I'm sorry about the abrupt departure, but Mike called me in the afternoon, demanding I show my face."

After a second Jared replies to him. "Okay, but it's not about that media thing, right?"

"No, I just haven't seen them in years, and when they called and invited me I though it would be a great chance." Jensen hates lying, but at least it's not fully a lie. Just the part about the media being a factor for his short trip.

"Okay. When are you back?" Chad is asking about what's going on in the back. Apparently Jared's behavior has alarmed him to their conversation.

"I'll be back on Tuesday, evening most likely." Jensen breaks because of some idiot who hasn't learned to drive. "We're still on about Wednesday and the dogs, right?"

"Of course." Some of Jared's usual excitement is back in his voice. "Call me once you have arrived. If I can't go to the phone, I'll call you back, okay."

"Okay." With that their call ends. Jensen tucks the cell into the duffle bag and concentrates on driving.

The closer they get to San Francisco, the heavier the traffic gets. On the express highway he gets into a jam, which takes him about half and hour to pass. The rest of the way is smooth driving, and he pulls up at his friends' house around half past ten.

The lights are on downstairs and when he opens the trunk to the car, letting Dean out of the kennel, the front door opens and Mike and Tom are coming outside. His friends are greeted by the dog who wags his tail so hard he almost throws himself about. Tom plays with Dean while Mike walks up to Jensen, hugging him as he reaches him.

They let go of each other rather quickly, both grinning embarrassed. "Let's forget we ever did that, okay."

Jensen's comment makes Mike laugh, and he claps him on the shoulder. "Yeah, that sounds great."

Together they get Dean's and Jensen's things out of the car. As Jensen walks up to the house, Tom sneaks up behind him and drapes his arm around Jensen's shoulder.

"So, you have to tell me in detail about that torrid affair of yours that I have been hearing so much about." He laughs as he sees Jensen's scowl.

"Asshole." This earns him more laughter, and they enter the house joking about the rumors that have been spreading about Jensen.

Dean darts around the house, inspecting the new environment, and Jensen takes his duffle to the room Mike and Tom prepared for him. It looks like it's their office turned guest room. There's a fold-out couch, and a cupboard for clothes. Jensen just tosses the bag onto the couch, and joins his friends in the kitchen.

Mike is getting some beers, and sets them onto the table. They sit down and suddenly it's quiet, no-one sure who should start. In the end it's Jensen who takes another swig from his bottle, and clears his throat.

"So, you gonna ask or what?" This dare is all it takes to get the two of them started. Jensen patiently answers questions and talks about his unexpected friendship with Jared. He tells fun stories about the four weeks of teaching actors, and he endures jokes and teasing comments about his crush on Jared. More than once Mike makes lewd jokes about sharing body heat in the cold, and every time he earns himself a raised eyebrow by Jensen and a whack on the back of his head by Tom.

After a second round of beers, they decide to get some sleep and continue the interrogation/catching up in the morning. Jensen changes into sweats and a t-shirt for the night and after taking care of his nightly bed routine, he finds himself sitting on the unmade bed in his friends' office.

Dean is curled around his feet, and Jensen's holding his cell in his hands. He scolds himself for delaying the call he promised Jared.

The phone rings a couple of times but then Jared picks up on the other end. Jensen takes a deep breath. "Hi Jared."

"Hi. So, you arrived safe?" If Jared is upset that Jensen calls him this late, he doesn't let on. His voice is more cheerful than during their last talk.

"Yeah, there was a patch of rough traffic on the express highway but all in all the drive was eventless." He relaxes some more and leans back into the couch. "Mike and Tom were real happy I came up here. I hope that you don't mind my taking this short excursion."

"Naw, it's alright. From what you told me, the two of them were your best friends during college. I can understand that you would want to visit them when you get the chance." Jensen can hear Jared saying something to someone else, and he wonders if Jared's on a break or if he took the phone back to the set with him.

"You still working?" Of course Jared's still working. He told Jensen today that the night shoot will most likely last until three in the morning.

"Yeah, but they are working on the set right now so we took an impromptu break." Dean gets up and jumps onto the couch and lies down across Jensen's thighs. "Tomorrow and Tuesday will be like today, but after that we'll be done with the night shoots. I can't wait for that to happen."

"And here I thought you actually enjoy working during the dark. Must remind you of Alaska, with getting up at four thirty and all." His teasing comment had Jared laugh sarcastically.

"Very funny. At least I get to sleep after work, not like at the boot camp, where I had to get up at night and then had to snow shoe across half of Alaska." They are laughing now.

"Half of Alaska, huh?" Jensen cards his fingers through Dean's thick fur, scratching behind the dog's ears. "I have to say that you walked further than I ever did."

"Well, maybe not that far, but too far. That's for sure." The easy banter is back, and it feels good to talk with Jared like they used to. Before the morning from hell.

"You know, they are saying that your secret gay identity is the reason you and Sandy broke things off." Jensen doesn't know why he's doing that. He hadn't even planned on saying anything about the rumors that are flying around.

"So I've heard, yeah." Jared snorts. "As if. I mean why would I want to cheat on her with a guy?"

The joking comment feels like a slap in Jensen's face. If he ever thought, in some dark corner of his mind, that there was even the slightest chance of Jared being interested in men, much less him, it's over now. So much about that.

"You tell me. It's you who's supposed to have done the deed." Jensen swallows down the bitter feeling of disappointment. It's stupid really, there's nothing he should be disappointed about, but the bitterness is there nonetheless.

"I hate it when they just can't let me be. They never got what they wanted from our separation, and now they're trying to turn everything into some sordid story about betrayal and infidelity. They're assholes." It's rare that Jared gets worked up about something, but there's real anger in his voice now. Apparently he's not as cool with everything as Jensen assumed he was.

"Just ignore them. Hey, if they can't find anything worthwhile they'll move on. You'll see, by next week when I'm back in Texas, and you're still in LA, they'll forget about that nonsense." He switches his phone to his other ear and wipes his sweaty hand against his shirt. "The next thing you know you'll be dating Hayden, because the two of you went for a coffee."

At this Jared snorts amused into the phone. "Naw, I'm much too young for her. Besides, she's still pining after Jeff." At this they both break out laughing. Jeff's dilemma with Hayden's overt flirting will be a story that will be told many times in the future.

Jensen can hear someone calling Jared's name. And then Jared has to go back to work. "I'll call you tomorrow. Tell you about how much the dogs miss Dean."

"You do that." They say goodnight and end the call.

After the connection is cut, Jensen tosses the phone on the side table next to the couch. He ushers Dean down from the couch and unfolds it. The sheets and a pillow are on the desk, already ready for him to use. With the bed made he climbs in and is joined by Dean who refuses to sleep on the floor.

Jensen turns onto his front and buries his face in the pillow; he inhales the scent of fabric softener and relaxes. It takes only seconds for him to fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The two days Jensen spends in San Francisco are filled with hanging out, and catching up. Mike devised a disguise for Jensen to make sure no-one recognizes him. When he wants to 'dress' Dean up by spray painting his fur – to make him unrecognizable of course – Jensen refuses to go through with the idea. In the end they head out with Jensen and Dean looking like themselves. They aren't harassed at all.

In the afternoon, Jared calls talking about the shoot and about the dogs. They avoid talking about the stories that are still being spread about them. On the first day in San Francisco, Jensen finally gets around to checking the online articles out. The stories he finds have him wish for a huge hole in the ground he can hide in.

The photos are pictures that were taken of him and Jared at the restaurant where they had brunch, grainy cell phone captions of Jared and him at the airport, and photos of them touring Hollywood Boulevard. All of them are innocent pictures that show two guys hanging out together, but the tales that are being spun around them are hair-raising.

On Tuesday he calls his family again, making sure that they aren't harassed by reporters anymore. Fortunately, the police have been patrolling the street until the photographers left, and now his parents and his siblings can leave the house once more without being rundown by a sensationalistic mob of journalists.

When it's time to return to LA, Jensen packs his stuff up and loads himself and Dean into the car. He promises to let Mike and Tom know if things are easier back at ground zero, and then he starts his drive down south.

This time he started around one which will have him arrive at Jared's place around seven or eight. They break their journey at the same fill up joint like on their drive two days ago, and with almost no traffic, which equals a world wonder, they arrive about six and a half hours after they left Mike and Tom standing on the side walk.

There's a car parked opposite the gate, but Jensen can't see and photographers around. The guard on duty is someone he doesn't know but he's allowed entrance without any trouble. Apparently, now that his picture has been posted on the net and shown around on TV, everyone knows who he is.

Jensen parks the SUV in front of the entrance and the first thing he does is let Dean out of the kennel. He's unlocking the door of the cage, when there's the sound of excited barking. He has about two seconds before Dean jumps out of the car and is enthusiastically greeted by Harley and Sadie.

"The two of them were moping around the house ever since Dean left." Jared's voice comes as a surprise.

Jensen looks up at the explanation and finds Jared walking up to him. There are dark smudges under his eyes, and he looks like he's dead on his feet. He hadn't been joking when he said that night shoots do not agree with him.

"I thought you're having another long night today as well?" Jensen locks the kennel and closes the trunk. He walks to the front door of the car and gets his bag.

"Yeah, that was the plan, but my scenes were done the last two days and now I don't have to shoot tonight. Which is perfect, because I could really use some sleep." His statement is emphasized by a yawn.

"A nice long beauty sleep should do wonders for you." Jensen grins mischievously at Jared. "Might even help with your ugly face, if anything can of course."

"I hate you." Jared follows him inside, trailing obediently after Jensen, who heads for his bedroom. He feels proud that in the two days he spent in San Francisco he didn't forget how to navigate the huge mansion Jared calls his home.

When they arrive at the door to Jensen's room, Jared just leans against the wall, waiting for him to open the door and let them in. While Jensen starts unpacking his duffle bag, Jared falls face down onto the bed. His tall frame is sprawled over the whole bed.

"Hey! You have your own room with your own bed!" His mock outburst of indignation has Jared mumble into the pillow. Jensen's not sure but he thinks he can make out something like '_'s my bed, too_. "This is not Alaska, where you and Dean constantly hogged my bed."

But this time he doesn't get any reply. Shaking his head in amusement, he continues unpacking, and grabs some fresh clothes and a towel. With a last look back at Jared, who hasn't moved an inch the last fifteen minutes, he closes the bathroom door behind him and gets ready for a shower.

It feels like heaven to wash the sweat of the long drive away. Clean and flushed from the hot water, he returns to the bedroom, to find Jared snoring lightly. Jensen will get something to eat from the kitchen, and then he'll try to coax Jared from Jensen's bed to his own.

Linda's presence comes as a surprise to him. Usually the house keeper leaves in the late afternoon. Jensen smiles at her, wondering what her mood is like after his departure two days ago. "Hi!"

"Jensen. Take a seat." He obeys willingly and climbs his stool at the counter. It's funny how he can refer to a piece of furniture in Jared's house as his own now. "Are you hungry?"

His stomach growls in answer to her question, and makes him blush with embarrassment.

"I take it, that means 'yes'." She laughs amused. Turning away from him she starts taking Tupperware and pots out of the huge fridge. Soon the smell of pasta sauce is teasing Jensen's nose and making his mouth water.

Ten minutes later a plate of spaghetti with meatballs is put in front of him, and a breadbasket with garlic bread is added after that. The helping is far too much for him but he'll do his best to eat as much as possible. With a delighted grin he starts digging in. He looks up from the piling plate, and stares at Linda adoringly.

"Stop it, you charmer." She takes another plate with food – with a much smaller helping – and sits down opposite him. It's the first time Jensen sees her eat. He passes the grated parmesan to her and pours them both a glass of water.

For some time they eat in companionable silence. Jensen splatters his shirt with drops of the meatball sauce, making him look like a slob, but he doesn't care. The garlic bread is delicious as well, and even though he already feels like he's going to explode, he can't stop eating.

"I want to apologize." This has him stop eating, the fork with food paused in midair. "I was unfair to you on Sunday. You aren't used to this world of scandals and gossip, and your calling him at the studio was what helped him ignore the bullshit he got from his manager and his PR guy."

"How so?" Jensen sets the fork down and takes a gulp of water.

"With you not here, he could tell them that it was all lies what the press was spreading. When his manager showed up and you weren't around, he calmed down. Which made dealing with them a lot easier." She takes a bite from the garlic bread and dips it into the sauce of the pasta. "You calling and talking with him as if nothing had happened, it calmed him down. After the mess the media created when Jared and Sandy split up, he had Sandy to help with the public sorting out, but at home he would constantly brood and worry. This time, he would just give you a call and afterwards he'd be happy again."

Being the one responsible for the wellbeing of one Jared Padalecki is a little bit intimidating. He looks away from her gaze, nodding his understanding.

"Thank you." Jensen whips his head towards her.

"Please, don't thank me. It was a cowardly thing I did, even if it turned out to be the right solution. My motivation was anything but selfless." He shreds the slice of garlic bread he's holding, crumbs falling in the meatball sauce.

"Even so, thank you." Linda returns to eating her food, and Jensen feels a little less like a naughty child who got caught in the act.

His appetite is gone, but he forces himself to eat some more before he pushes the plate to the side and drains his glass. He's more than full by now, and he has to shift a little on the stool because it feels uncomfortable to bend his stomach. Jensen wonders if it's inappropriate to unbutton the top of his jeans.

Once Linda has finished eating, she starts putting everything away and cleaning the kitchen. Jensen heaves himself down form the stool and moves to help her with the work. His attempt earns him a strict glare that would put Jim's reprimanding looks to shame, and Jensen slinks back to his seat, leaning against the counter.

They talk about what Jensen did and saw in San Francisco, with him tossing in a couple of stories Jensen and his friends at college. He's well into the story of how Mike and Tom hooked up when a sleepy voice interrupts him.

"You left me all alone." Jared's leaning against the door frame, more asleep than awake. "What if someone had tried to molest me?"

Jensen raises his eyebrow. "Who? The dogs? They are outside. Besides, I'm sure you would have liked it."

Jared grumbles something inarticulate and shuffles to the stool next to Jensen. With some difficulties he climbs it and promptly lays his head on the counter before him.

"Charming." Linda prods Jared into sitting up and puts a cup of steaming coffee in front of him.

"That doesn't work with me." But Jared drinks it anyway. He holds out the empty mug and gets a refill.

"What were the two of you talking about?" He drinks the second cup of coffee at a much slower pace than the first one.

"Jensen was just telling me about how Mike and Tom got together." At Jared's curious look Jensen starts the story again, and adds some more info about his task in the whole scheme.

They are all three laughing about Mike's threats of multiple homicides. It feels comfortable and like it's something they've done for a long time. Jensen takes his glass, taking another sip of water and continues with the story. By the end of it Jared is mostly awake, laughing so hard he has to hold on to the counter.

"And they're still together?" Jensen nods at that.

"Yeah, they've been through college, moving from Canada to the States, because Mike's pure California, and starting a life together." Talking about his friends and how they have been a couple for so long now, it makes him sad that he never had this closeness with someone else. Having sex or a relationship for a couple of months can't compare to Mike's and Tom's commitment.

"It's a pity they didn't come down here; I would have liked to meet them." Jared gets another refill of coffee, and Jensen suddenly wonders if Jared's really as immune to coffee as he claimed to be.

When she sees his worried look, Linda leans closer to him and stage whispers, "Don't worry, it's decaf."

"Hey!" Jared holds his ears closed.

"He likes to think that coffee doesn't work on him, and we like to keep him in the illusion that it is so." She smiles sweetly at Jared and winks at Jensen.

When Jared realizes that it's safe to listen again, he uncovers his ears. He glances suspiciously at Linda, holding tight to his cup of coffee. Jensen has to fight hard to stay serious, and not to burst out laughing at them.

Their gathering lasts well into the night and it's about eleven when Linda says her goodnight and leaves. Jensen and Jared head for the garden, where they sit down on the deck of the pool. Soon after they have settled in, the dogs join them, sprawling over their feet and dozing content.

The cool night air is filled with cicadas, owls and other night time sounds. Jensen closes his eyes and leans back, enjoying tranquility. Right here and right now he feels at peace. When a soft breeze wafts over the pool, and caresses his skin, he can't help but grin happily.

"You know, when Chad called me Sunday morning, and told me about the press mayhem, I thought that once more they were able to fuck my life up. First with their talk about my relationship with Sandy and now talking shit about you." Jared's voice is soft as if he's talking to himself and not with Jensen. "I know that being friends with a public person like me is hard. I know that so well, because I lost all of mine when the fame started. That's why everyone in this business hangs out and hooks up with someone else in the business."

Jensen stays quiet and just listens. He knows that Jared doesn't want a reply; he just wants to voice his thoughts. Maybe not only to explain them to Jensen, but to make it easier to organize them.

"My best friend during high school sold the story of my high school time to the highest bidder once it became clear that the press is interested in it. That was a wake up call for me, and ever since I've been careful not to tell anyone about personal stuff." Jensen turns his head to Jared and watches his face through his lashes. "When we got along so well, and became friends that easily, I wasn't sure about what to think about it. My telling you about Sandy and me, was a big risk, and Chad told me that I was being stupid, but so far I've been right about you Jensen."

"I would never tell anyone about anything private or personal you're trusting me with." Jensen can't help but say something. Having experienced first hand how unpleasant it is if the public has its eye on you, interpreting your every move, he would never willingly do that to someone else.

"I know. That's why you friendship means a lot to me. I would have regretted to lose it over this mess." Jared's eyes are fixed in Jensen's face. "I'm glad that things turned out okay in the end."

"Me too." They're both smiling, relieved at each other, and then turn their heads up to watch the night sky. The white dotted black satin seems strangely close, and it almost seems like they'll be able to reach it with their hands.

For some time they talk about what they're going to do on set tomorrow. Jensen asks about the dogs – who Jared knows nothing concrete about – and Jared tells him about the Guitar Hero competition he and Chad have going on.

What follows is an explanation by Jared about what Guitar Hero is, and Jensen has then to promise to play with them during the breaks. When Jared starts talking about something called _Sing Stars_, Jensen nips the idea in the bud. He simply refuses to karaoke with Jared and Chad.

When their conversation starts to fade out, they just stay there, sitting next to each other and enjoy the quiet. Jensen closes his eyes and every sound becomes much clearer and louder suddenly. It's not noisy, but he realizes that it's not nearly as quiet as it seemed to be before.

They stay on the deck until Jared dozes off and starts snoring. The sound wakes Jensen from his own state of half-sleep. He gets up, waking the dogs and Jared and together they head back inside. While Harley and Sadie follow Jared into his bedroom, Dean trots after Jensen.

Inside he changes his clothes and brushes his teeth. They have to leave around eight in the morning, and Jensen sets the alarm on his cell phone, just to be sure that he gets up on time. After that he climbs into bed. Dean joins him, just like every night, and soon there's the sound of the dog's heavy breathing.

For some reason Jensen's not tired at all, and he lies awake in the bed, staring into the dark. With the exception of Sunday, the stay with Jared had been very nice. It makes him sad that the press has such power over the lives of people like Jared. With their rumor spreading and constant surveillance the reporters and paparazzi destroyed relationships, and sometimes even ruined lives.

Living a normal life, never wondering about how his actions might look to someone else, Jensen can't fully understand the concept of living in the eye of the public. His sister had often talked about this singer or that actress, quoting articles that revealed their big secrets, and took pleasure in pointing out missteps or problems.

In the past he had never cared about it, but now Jensen can't help but wonder how people like Jared, or even Chad, could go on like this. Every day knowing that what you're doing will be tomorrow's headline. It would drive Jensen insane, or he would end up hiding somewhere out of reach. Like Alaska. He realizes that the seclusion of the compound must have been like a safe haven for the actors. No-one around to bother them. Except their instructors, of course.

These thoughts buzz around in his head until his eyes grow too heavy to stay open, and they droop closed. Jensen turns to his side, his hand dropping onto Dean's fur, and with a yawn he forces himself to sleep. No need to drive himself crazy with things he can't do anything about.


	7. Chapter 7

They arrive ten minutes late on set. It's not Jensen's fault, and it's not Jared's fault either. If anyone is to blame, it's Chad who calls Jared the second they are leaving the house, asking him to pick him up. Apparently he partied too long, and now he doesn't want to drive himself, fearing he might end up wrapped around some lamp post, or inside some phone booth (with his car of course).

So, they have to take a detour to Chad's apartment, and only the fact that they had been leaving early in the first place is the reason why they are only ten minutes late. The whole drive from Chad's place to the studio, he goes on and on about some woman he met the night before.

After the umpteenth time he praises her 'assets' Jensen wants to stick a knife his eyes. Anything's got to be more bearable than this. When the gate of the studio comes into sight, he perks up, knowing that he gets to get out of the car, and away from Chad's endless monologue about his almost conquest.

The moment they get out, a hurried looking guy, wearing headphone and a mike, with papers tucked under his arms, bustles over to them. "Peter is already waiting for the two of you, and you haven't been to make up yet. We're going to shoot Adam's scene first now, but Jared, we need you in the next."

Jensen runs after the trio, carefully maneuvering through the crowds of film crew and other people running around backstage. Some of them are equipped like the guy who picked them up. Headphone, mike and papers. He soon notices that it's much easier to follow right behind Jared, who creates a path while walking. Not having to sidestep all the time makes it possible to run after Jared, Chad and the stranger at a much quicker pace.

They arrive in front of a trailer, a paper sheet is posted on its door, spelling _J. Padalecki_. Chad and the stranger continue on, but Jared climbs the stairs into the vehicle, and holds the door open for Jensen. "Come on in. I have to change and then it's off to make-up."

Jared parks Jensen on a horrible grey-green-blue couch, and disappears behind a folding door. Jensen looks around. There's a hug TV screen, a gaming system which he recognizes from Jared's house, and photos of a multitude of people are posted to every wall. Right above the TV, he discovers the framed photo Jared got from them at the farewell party.

Seeing the picture here, where Jared's spending most of his days, and a fair share of his nights, makes Jensen happy.

He's leafing through printed out pages, which seem to be scenes out of the movie script, when the folding door opens and reveals a costumed Jared. Seeing him dressed up like a historic Polar explorer, his tall frame almost caged in by the door frame he's standing in, has Jensen snort out a laugh.

"What?" Jared starts checking the costume over, looking for something wrong.

"Nothing, it's just you dressed like this in this trailer, and never forget the sweltering heat outside." Jensen laughs some more. "Priceless."

"Alright, Mr. Mastercard." Jared rolls his eyes at Jensen and grabs a couple of pages from the TV before he ushers Jensen outside. "Off we go."

This time, when they are heading for Jared's next stop, Jensen stays right behind him. Their destination is an unimposing door in a corridor. Another paper sheet declares it to be _Make Up_. Jared's arrival is greeted with a lot of chatter and three hyperactive people (one man and two women), herd him to a chair that Jensen's only ever seen at a hair salon.

Careful that he's not being in anybody's way, Jensen leans against the wall and watches how layers over layers of make up are applied until Jared looks like a person who's not wearing make up. There are shadows added under his eyes, discolorations of the skin are painted on, some as scars and scabs. While one of the women (Jared keeps on referring to her as Barbara), works on his face, the other one (Keisha) is applying make up to Jareds hands, making them look weatherworn.

At the same time, the guy (Jensen didn't get his name), is tousling and working on Jared's hair. When all of them are finished, which is about half an hour later, Jared looks like someone who is ill, and hasn't slept for days. Jensen can remember times when he looked exactly like that, but he hadn't spent any time putting on make up to get that effect.

Jared has spent the whole time talking, joking with the make up artists, telling Jensen about today's schedule, asking after his co-stars, rehearsing parts of his next scene. It's a wonder that they are able to get any work done on him.

Once everything is perfected, Jared leads the way to the set. Stepping from a dark corridor into a snow covered landscape (it's fake snow of course), throws Jensen, and he actually stops in his tracks and stares at his surrounding. The material that they are using as a substitute for snow crunches under his shoes, and he crouches down, gathering some of the white stuff. It's got a rubbery feeling to it.

"Jensen!" He looks up and finds Jared waving him over. He's standing together with Chad, who looks almost a scruffy as Jared, and a guy who has his head phones pulled down, hanging around his neck. He's talking to a guy somewhere in the back, pointing every which way, giving instructions.

Jensen crosses the snow stage and stops next to Jared and Chad. The blonde is scowling at the pages in his hand. All Jensen can make out are red markings and additions. Lots of red.

"Dude, I swear, the writers spend every night changing everything they gave us before." He stalks off to some cart that is covered with plastic cups of coffee and OJ, and miniature sandwiches.

There's someone bumping into him, as they rush by, and Jensen takes some more steps away from the set. He sees Jared head for the cart of refreshments and follows. Surprisingly enough he feels hungry as well. After the late dinner and the breakfast this morning, he shouldn't want something to eat so soon, but he does.

Jared's shoving a sandwich into his mouth with one hand and reading his own red-tinted pages with the other hand. He grins at Jensen and points with his head at the platter of finger food, another sandwich already in hand.

Chad's only drinking coffee, and bitching about the changed script he received. One of the stressed out looking guys with the paper under their arms, is turning around once he sees Chad ranting and raving, heading back to where he came from.

"Okay people, next is scene 32. Jared, Chad, get into position please." If it's possible, people get even more stressed, and Jared takes another look at his pages before he thrusts them into Jensen's hand and heads for the set. Chad follows, still scowling and muttering under his breath.

Jensen stays at the cart. He can see everything perfectly from where he's standing, and he's not in anybody's way. The lights go out, and the only part of the room that is lit is the snow covered landscape. Everyone quiets, and then there's the call: "And: Action!"

With this the actors on the stage have slipped into their roles and the filming starts. It's really fascinating for Jensen to see Jared in his work environment. Watching him do every scene again and again, making every change the director asks for, even if the directions contradict themselves, he can see that Jared's doing what he loves. Acting.

The first scene wrapped, they start on the next with barely a break. This continues the rest of the morning. Even though some scenes are repeated countless times, Jensen finds that he's enjoying himself. He knows that he's allowed to experience something that many people would give everything for to see and participate in.

Around one, there's the call for lunch break, and Jared comes over to Jensen. He's sweating from the clothes and the spotlights, but he's grinning like a loon.

"So, how do you like the movies?" He's draping a sweaty arm around Jensen's shoulders and steers him through the crowd towards an exit Jensen can see Chad disappear through.

"It's very interesting, and for what it's worth, I think you're a great actor." Jensen's sure that people for more knowledgeable than him have complimented Jared on his acting skills, but after witnessing the other's passion and love for his job, he has to tell Jared what he thinks about it.

"Thanks. And it's worth a lot to me." His compliment has Jared smile even brighter than before. Their walk ends at a huge tent that is connected to the hall the set is built up in. There are long rows of tables and benches with people sitting together and eating out of plastic containers.

At the opposite side of the tent Jensen makes out a buffet and a row of people waiting to be served. He allows Jared to lead him over to the queue, and they stop next to Chad, who's halfway to the end of the line.

"Dude, you always do that. Others actually have to wait the whole queue." Chad shuffles over though to let Jared and Jensen into the row.

There are three to four different dishes to choose from, and there are also a variety of side dishes that can be combined with them. Jensen gets a burger with fries, and a slice of pie. His choices are packed into plastic boxes, and then he carries them to the table Chad and Jared picked.

During lunch people drop by them, some talking with Chad and Jared about work, others asking about Jensen. The whole affair of eating is over and done with in fifteen minutes and then people are leaving to do what they usually do during breaks.

Once Jensen has finished his food, Jared drags him off to see the dogs. Excitedly, he talks about the team they have on set. He adds though that the dogs at the compound were better, and that he misses taking care of the rowdy bunch.

The huskies are with a trainer and two other people who help taking care of them. There are ten of them. The dogs and their stunt dogs. They are Alaskan huskies, and most of them are grey and white, with two wholly white dogs.

"Hi, Ellen!" Jared greets the trainer. "This is Jensen. I told you about him and his team we were working with in Alaska."

Jensen's greeting is interrupted by a cold wet nose being pushed against his hand. Looking down he finds a husky sitting in front of him, blue eyes pleadingly staring up at him. Jensen grins happily and crouches down. "You are a real beauty."

"Inu is a real charmer. Don't let him con you into giving him any food." Ellen comes over to them, smiling kindly at the dog.

"He's a great dog. Did you train him for the movie, or is he a real sled dog?" Jensen is rubbing Inu's sides and scratching behind the husky's ears. His stokes and pets are rewarded with a blissful look on the canine face and a lot of tail wagging.

When the other dogs notice the treatment their pack member gets, Jensen soon finds himself surrounded by dogs, wet noses pushed at his hands and shoulders from all sides.

"See, I told you he's great with dogs." Jared is grinning happily, crouching down next to Jensen and graciously handing out caresses together with him.

"Yeah, you told me." Ellen watches her charges twist themselves around the two humans. Indulgently, he pats heads and ruffles fur, when one of the huskies rubs against her. "Usually they are not that friendly with strangers. Are you very experienced with dogs, Jensen?"

Looking up from the dog he's currently petting, Jensen nods at her. "Yeah, I started out helping at a dog school during high school, and at college I helped a dog breeder for sled dogs with the training of the young dogs."

"That's how you got Dean." Jared knows about how Jensen and Dean met. He's been teasing him about _True Love_ more than once. But then again, Jared's got no right to mock, what with his epic love story that is Harley and Sadie.

"Yep, he was the cockiest little guy. All tough and strutting around." Jensen grins amused at the memory of puppy! Dean. "He was thick as thieves with the tallest of his siblings. I named them Sam and Dean. They were hilarious. Sam would always step on his own huge paws, trying to keep up with Dean who'd pound around the yard. Dean's infatuation with the Malamute was the reason why I renamed him to Sammy in the first place. It was like they found each other's lost brother."

"So your team is not only huskies?" Ellen is crouching down next to them, being instantly surrounded by dogs.

"Nope, four of the team are Siberian huskies, Dean is one, and Sammy is a malamute, Ash a Greenland dog, and Cas is a Cimmiq." One of the husky's almost knocks Jensen over, trying to get him to redirect his attention from one dog to the other. "I know that some prefer to stay with one breed in a team, but their strengths compliment each other. I like the mix."

"Yeah, there was talk about maybe adding a malamute to the movie team as well, but the art director wanted to have dogs that looked the same. I don't know why, but that was the decision." She gets a doggy treat out of her pocket and feeds it to Inu. "In my opinion it's stupid to create a team based on its look, but since they don't have to really work as sled dogs, it's not that bad, I guess."

"It's important that they get along. Everything else is second place." When one of the harried looking people with papers under the arm shows up and almost has a stroke when he sees Jared still wearing the clothes from before the break, they get up and say their goodbye to Ellen, her helpers and the huskies.

Once more they have to dash through the studio, this time back to Jared's trailer, where he changes into a costume that almost looks the same to the one he wore before. After that they make another stop (which only takes fifteen minutes this time) at make up, and hurry back to the set.

They have to wait for Chad, who has to redo his make up after the director, Peter, decides that he wants a different look for the scene.

The rest of the afternoon passes very much like the morning. Jensen hangs out at the refreshment cart, watching Jared work, enjoying the world of movie making he's getting a look into, and following Jared to his trailer during the breaks. There's no Guitar Hero competition that they had talked about last night, but Chad invites himself to Jared's place, claiming that he wants to kick some ass at video games.

It takes until nine before the assistant director calls the day a wrap, and people are wandering from the set to their trailers or respective rooms. For all the time it took to apply Jared's make up in the morning, he's finished getting rid of it in under ten minutes. After the movie costume is back in the trailer, and Jared's once more wearing his jeans and shirt, they head for Chad's trailer.

The three of them pile into the truck, and Jared drives them home. Everyone is strangely subdued, the actors from the work, Jensen from the many new impressions he got throughout the day. When they arrive at the house, Dean, Harley and Sadie are already waiting for them.

While Jared's dogs crowd their owner and Jensen and Chad, Dean at first carefully sniffs his human, catching the scent of the strange dogs. He huffs put-upon, but quickly wraps himself around Jensen's feet, as if to make sure that no one but him gets to his owner.

"Missed me, fur face?" Jensen scratches Dean and pets Sadie and Harley.

"Dude, you weren't even gone a full day." Chad whines but he still bends down and pets the dogs. For all his protesting, he's in love with Sadie and Harley. Always bringing treats when he visits.

"Don't tell me you don't miss me when you don't get to see for half a day." Jared feigns hurt feelings, batting his eyes at his friend.

"Yeah, like a head ache." This has Jared open his eyes wide in fake shock, his hands grasping at his heart.

"You wound me" Jensen chuckles entertained. With a last pat, he wipes his hands in his jeans and crosses his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get something to drink, and then I'll teach you something about pain." Chad heads into the house, leaving a laughing Jensen and a grinning Jared behind.

They follow Chad to the kitchen. There are covered plates with food resting on the counter, and Jared grabs them, while Chad gets a beer for the three of them. Together, with the dogs, they make for the living room.

Jensen plops into the couch and settles down with his drink, watching Jared and Chad set up the gaming system with toy guitars that are plugged into the console.

"Okay bitches, let me show you how the Great Chad does this." Jensen's snorts at that, exchanging an amused glance with Jared who just shakes his head.

"What are you supposed to do?" Jared's comment has Chad raise an eyebrow and play the first chords of _It's A Long Way to the Top_.

"Watch and cry." With this their Guitar Hero competition starts in earnest.


	8. Chapter 8

Thursday is Jensen's last day in LA, and he spends it lounging around the house, taking a walk on the beach with the dogs, and keeping Linda from her work, by chatting with her. In the evening, Jared surprises him with an unscheduled barbeque, to which Chad, Hayden, Adam, Linda, and Jack show up as well.

The grill next to the pool is fired up, and Jack, who worked as a bartender during his college days, mans the bar, mixing drinks for everyone. It's a nice evening, and a perfect end of his visit with Jared. Jensen has to admit that even though there was the unfortunate press incident, the trip to LA had been a lot of fun.

Their little get-together lasts until midnight, which is when everyone leaves, and Jared and Jensen get some sleep before they have to get up at six in the morning. Jensen still has to return his car (which he can do at the airport), and checking in with Dean always takes some time.

When the alarm goes off, Jensen is sorely tempted to just turn around, but he rolls out of bed, takes a shower, and puts on some clothes. His bag is already packed, and Jensen takes Dean and Jared's dogs for a walk, down the beach and a short distance up the path. On their way back they are joined by Jared who grins sheepishly.

"Sorry, the alarm didn't work." Jensen just raises his eyebrow, because he heard Jared's alarm ringing right after his own. This has Jared blush lightly, but they're both letting it go.

They don't have the time for a real breakfast, but Jensen drinks a cup of coffee, says his goodbye to Linda, and then they are loading everything into the cars. The kennel and Dean go into the truck; the bags go into the SUV.

Jensen drives behind Jared, careful not to lose him in the morning traffic. There's a jam shortly before the exit to the airport, some truck rammed the side barrier and flipped over. It takes about forty-five minutes to arrive at the airport parking lot. While Jared takes care of taking Dean and the kennel to the check in, Jensen has to sprint to the car rental office, take care of returning the SUV, and then hurry to the check in for is flight.

It comes as no surprise that there's a long line of travelers already waiting to check in. Once his luggage is taken care of, Jensen calls Jared and asks for his whereabouts. He finds him waiting at the entrance to the duty free area. Dean is already checked in. Unlike their flight from Dallas to LA, the cabin is too full to allow the dog to stay in the cabin. This time the husky is loaded into the cargo hold.

"Three hours in the cargo hold of an airplane sucks." Jensen can only agree, but there's nothing he can do about it, Dean's just too big. It was a courtesy of the airline that the dog had been allowed to stay with Jensen the first time around. "Don't forget to call and let me know if both of you survived the flight."

"Will do." Jensen smiles at Jared. "Thank you for having me."

"No, thank you for putting up with me. I'm sorry I was gone so many times, but work can't wait." At Jared's apologetic grin, Jensen whacks him on the back of his head.

"Nonsense. I got to see Hollywood, was allowed on set of your movie, visited some friends, and could hang out at your house. It was awesome." They say their goodbye after that and Jensen dashes through the duty free area to his terminal.

On board the plane, Jensen settles into his seat, and takes one of the newspapers he's being offered. After the take off, when they are allowed to unfasten the seat belts and the flight attendants push the cart with the breakfast through the aisles, he unfolds the paper and starts reading.

Jensen has a sandwich (which tastes weird), a coffee and some juice. He finishes his newspaper and asks for another one, when he notices two teenage girls glancing over to him and giggling behind their magazines. On the front of one of the glossy papers, he finds a photo of himself and Jared. It's photoshopped, showing the two of them together, like a portray of them as a couple.

In bright letters the headline spells: "_The true love of Jared Padalecki._"

Jensen turns away from them and looks out of the window, watching the clouds underneath them. Strangely enough no-one has said anything about the whole incident after Sunday. The silence had made him believe that the press had lost interest in it, but apparently that isn't so.

The flight attendant brings him his newspaper, and asks him if there's anything else he wants. After the fraction of a second, Jensen tells her that he would like a copy of the _In Touch_ magazine. Her eyes widen shortly, but she leaves to bring what he asked for.

When he scans the front page, Jensen has to take calming breaths. The manipulated picture makes him and Jared look like lovesick teenagers, and the heart-shaped cutout with a picture of the dogs doesn't help to create a more serious impression. Their story made page two and three. It's an article with more photos of the kind he saw online already, but there are a couple of new pictures, that show him and Jared at the studio.

Jensen tries to remember if he noticed anyone following them or lurking around, but nothing comes to mind.

The article starts with a short introduction to Jared, and there's a full paragraph about his and Sandy's breakup. What follows are fantastic tales and wrong assumptions of the meaning of the photos that accompany the article. Apparently the reason why Jared and him are a couple is that Jensen is gay. His mere presence makes Jared gay by association. The next step from gay friends to lovers is not far, for the media at least.

So called Hollywood insiders and personal friends are quoted, and they all say the same, that Jared has been in love for some time now. His feelings led to the end of his relationship and the engagement with Sandra McCoy, and now that he's at liberty to do so, he can openly show himself with his new partner.

If he wasn't the person people were referring to, Jensen would laugh about the stories and tales that are cooked up by the press. On page four some openly gay movie star, Jensen doesn't recognize him, talks about the outing of Hollywood's favorite and it's impact on the gay rights movement.

The page after, he finds a poll where readers have been asked to evaluate his and Jared's relationship. Apparently forty-six percent believe that they'll last, the others don't.

Jensen closes the magazine and leaves it lying on his lap. He stares out of the window and tries to sort out everything he read. It stands to reason that with his returning to Texas and moving back to Alaska, the whole affair will quiet down. If Jensen isn't around, they can't take any new photos, and he's sure that the next time Jared goes for some coffee or food with a female colleague, they will be dealt as the hottest now pair of tinsel town.

But until then, Jensen is not so much worried about himself, but about his family. He really doesn't want them to be hounded because of the whole thing. His calls to Mac and Josh told him all the same, no reporters and paparazzi around anymore, but he couldn't be sure about that.

The rest of the flight Jensen thinks about what to do, and possible contingency plans. His other newspaper stays untouched, and when they are starting in on the landing procedures, Jensen hands them back without giving them a second glance.

The landing is smooth, and this time, without Dean, he doesn't have to wait for the other passengers to get out. He makes for the baggage claim, and once he's got his bags secured on a trolley, he pushes it to the customs desks where he shows Dean's papers. He waits for the dog, and then he stows the kennel away on the trolley, wraps Dean's leash around his hand, and heads for the exit.

It's Mac who's picking him up from the airport. She's waving at him, wearing glasses inside as if she's trying to disguise her face.

He pushes the trolley over to her, Dean pulling on his leash to get to Mac faster. As soon as they reach her, the husky jumps her, licking her face and yipping excitedly. This makes Mac laugh, rubbing his head.

"One would think that it was me who left." She pats the dog another time before she steps up to Jensen and hugs him lightly. "Hey, you look so much smaller in real life."

At this Jensen grins wryly. "Yeah, you know those photographers always make me look like some giant. I missed you Mac."

"Right." She cuffs him on the shoulder, and hangs her arm into his. Together they make for the garage.

Dean is obediently trotting next to the trolley. He knows that he'll get to see the rest of the Ackles clan soon. That usually means treats and more people to fuss over him.

"So, tell me about Jared Padalecki." Jensen tells his sister about the house and Jared's housekeeper and his bodyguard. He willingly tells him about Dean's infatuation with Jared, and Sadie and Harley's infatuation with Jensen. When she asks about what they did, he describes to her in detail his day on set, meeting the movie dogs, hanging out with Jared and their tourist day on Hollywood Boulevard.

They arrive at the car when Jensen goes into describing his victory at the Guitar Hero competition. Just as Jensen has stowed the kennel into the back of the car, a voice calls out to them.

"Mr. Ackles!" He turns to the person and wishes he hadn't. There's a photographer snapping pictures of him, Mac and Dean. The dog is growling threateningly, his hackles raised, his teeth bared. The husky's reaction has the journalist with the photographer stop his approach.

Jensen loads his bags into the car and opens the door of the kennel. "Dean, come on."

The dog ignores him and keeps on watching the strangers who are keeping their distance but still refuse to leave. Only when Jensen tugs at his collar and orders him once more to jump up and into the car, the dog obeys.

The moment Dean is locked away, the man and the photographer come closer. "Mr. Ackles, what do you say about the accusations that you destroyed Jared Padalecki's and Sandra McCoy's relationship?"

Jensen pushes the photographer to the side and makes Mac climb into the front seat. He carefully avoids looking at the camera, or meeting the journalist's eyes.

"You were seen together with Jared Padalecki, how serious is it between the two of you." This time when he tries to get past them, they won't budge and he can feel anger and panic rising in him. "Mr. Padalecki hasn't given a statement pertaining to the rumors about the nature of the relationship between him and you."

When the two won't budge Jensen glares at the reporter who sees this as the sign that Jensen will finally answer some of the questions he has. He shoves a recorder in his face and starts all over again. "What is the relationship between Jared Padalecki and yourself?"

"Move." Jensen practically growls.

"I just want one statement from you." The photographer keeps on snapping pictures and Jensen has the urge to take the camera and smash to the floor, probably stamp on it some more, just to make sure it's useless.

"I said move. Or else I'll press harassment charges against the two of you." When they stay right where they are Jensen shoves the journalist to the side. Not too hard because he doesn't want to be reported for assault, just strong enough that he can wedge through between them. He almost runs to the other side of the car, the journalists right behind him.

When he throws the door closed and locks it, Mac looks over at him, her eyes worried and a little but freaked out.

"Are you alright?" No, he isn't alright. But he doesn't want to think about that. Right now he just wants to get away. Leave this nightmare behind and to entrench himself inside his parent's house until he can return to Alaska and normality.

"I'm fine, Mac." Jensen starts the car and turning his head back to look behind him he puts in the reverse. At least the two men are intelligent enough to step aside when he pulls out of the parking spot.

Shifting gears he drives off, in the rear view mirror he can see the photographer take some more pictures, and then they pull up to the exit and leave them behind. Jensen's heart beats like mad in his chest and he can feel adrenalin rushing through his body. He has to take several deep breaths before he's calm enough to turn to his sister, giving her a weak smile.

Mac is staring out of her window, her sunglasses in her hands. She seems to be miles away, her gaze unfocused. Jensen wonders what it must have been like when the whole thing started five days ago. The mere thought of his mother being surrounded on her way to the supermarket, recorders shoved into her face, photographers documenting her grocery shopping, it makes Jensen sick.

"Has it been like this all the time?" He concentrates on driving. Forcing everything out of his head.

"No, not since the police made clear that they really shouldn't besiege us. This is the first time since Sunday that they showed up." Mac sighs exhausted.

Jensen knows how she feels. Now that the adrenalin rush is slowly fading, Jensen feels like the journalist sucked all the energy out of. The barbeque party yesterday, the magazine on the plane and the press sneak attack are a bit much for someone like Jensen.

"How are mum and dad?" Mac just shrugs.

"They are okay. It's not like you being outed is a shock to them, but the sudden attention focused on them, and media people trampling all over their front yard at the ass crack dawn kind of came as a shock." She turns her head to look at Jensen. "But as I already said, there hasn't been any problem with the press the whole week. I guess they thought that at the airport the police wouldn't be able to catch them."

Jensen nods. Even knowing that this was a single incident doesn't make it any better. He didn't say anything to the reporter, but he can't help but wonder what will be printed in the press about his encounter just now. Nothing good probably.

The rest of the drive they stay quiet, even the radio stays switched off. When Jensen pulls into the driveway and cuts the engine, the silence is even more pregnant.

There's movement at the front door, and Jensen can see his parents, and Josh and his family come out, heading for the car. He takes a deep breath and opens the door. Climbing out he waves at his family, his smile getting more real with every second. The mere presence of them calms him.

"Hey there." His mum comes round to him and gives him a crushing hug. She's smaller than Jensen, but he bends down a little to make it easier for her. "Hi mum."

Once she lets go his brother is the next one to hug, but theirs is much shorter. "Look at you. We let you out of our sight and you make such a ruckus."

Josh grins mischievously at Jensen, which has him grin back. "Yeah, you know how it is. My fans just can't get enough of me."

"Uh huh." Josh claps him on the shoulder and lets their father hug Jensen.

After even Emily has wrapped her puny little arms around his neck, Jensen lets Dean out of the car. The dog yips and barks excitedly, greeting everyone, and sniffing around the front yard. He grabs his bags and they hoard into the house.

The inside is cool and a relief from the heat outside. Jensen dumps his luggage into his room, and rejoins the others on the terrace.

There's a jug of freshly made lemonade and glasses for everyone. He plops down into a chair between his dad and Mac and tells them about his stay in LA: Occasionally one of the others tosses in a comment about what had been happening at the same time here in Dallas, but mostly it was Jensen talking and the other's listening.

Josh and Jensen's dad were suitably impressed by Jensen's descriptions of Jared's house, his mum asked about Mike and Tom, and Mac and Sara got all worked up about his description of his day at the set of Jared's new movie. Even though Mac had heard most of it already at the airport, he squealed just the same when Jensen told them about the stars he saw at the restaurant in Hollywood. Jensen even went to get his digital camera to show the pictures he took around.

His mum had prepared everything for burgers, and in the evening his dad is grilling their dinner. Surrounded by his family, eating home-made food by his mum, and drinking beer, Jensen can forget about his run-in with the press.

It's only later when he calls Jared to let him know that he arrived in one piece at his parent's house, that the incident comes to his mind again. Still, when Jared asks if anything happened during his journey, Jensen keeps quiet about it. He doesn't want Jared to think that he's whining about something that Jared can't do anything about in the first place.

After his phone call to LA, Jensen takes a shower and prepares for bed. It's about ten in the evening and Josh and his family have already left. Mac is at a friend's place, and his parents are with their neighbors helping with the planning of the big barbeque get-together in two weeks time.

Dean jumps onto the bed once Jensen has buried himself into the sheets, and drapes himself over Jensen's feet. During the night, Jensen will most likely wake up and shove the dog off the bed because of the heat, but right now he doesn't care.

It doesn't take long before both man and dog are fast asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

It's three days after his return from LA that Jensen gets a call from Chris. The caller ID takes him by surprise, because usually his friend is preparing to go on stage at such a time. He picks up, wedging the cell between his shoulder and his ear, and continues scrubbing the carpet Dean tore through the dirt in the afternoon.

"Hey." He sounds a bit distracted from the cleaning he's doing.

"Jensen. I was thinking, me being in Dallas and all, and you being back from LA, we should meet." Jensen looks up from what he's doing.

"Why are you in Dallas? I thought the band's touring right now." He sets the brush aside and sits down on the bathroom floor. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Or, at least nothing bad. We got an offer from a guy who wants us to compose a soundtrack for his movie. Something independent. Since the gigs we were having were for free anyway, we just rescheduled." He can hear Chris moving around his apartment, opening the fridge, bottles clinking against each other. "So, what about it? You got time to come over?"

"Sure, I just have to change clothes. I'll be at your place in half an hour." Jensen glances at the carpet and decides that he'll just let it soak overnight and work on the stains tomorrow.

"Great. And bring your guitar."

"Will do." Chris hangs up and Jensen puts the carpet into the tub, filling it a little bit with water, and then heads for his room, to get out of the dirty clothes.

It's actually twenty-five minutes later when he knocks on Chris' door. There's the sound of footsteps and then his friend opens up, letting him in. Jensen moves from the entrance to the living room where beers are already open and waiting to be drunk.

"Sit your ass down." Chris plops down onto he couch and props his feet up on the coffee table. Jensen sits down as well, but keeps his feet on the floor. He gratefully takes the beer Chris hands over.

"So?" Chris watches him closely but Jensen just ignores him and takes another swig from his bottle.

"So what?" He looks over at Chris and waits for an explanation.

His friend just raises an eyebrow, telling Jensen to quit dicking around and just tell him what he wants to know. The thing is Jensen can guess what Chris wants to know, but he refuses to make it that easy for him. If he can't even ask properly for the info he's interested in, Jensen's not going to pour his heart like a chick. He can be as emotionally stunted as any other guy.

"Come on, Jensen. LA, Jared Padalecki, you having the hots for the guy since you know what having the hots for someone is. Any of that ringing a bell?" Chris grimaces at the words, as if admitting that he's just as interested as anybody else in gossip is making him less macho.

"Ah, that." Jensen grins mischievously, enjoying his friends pained look. He takes pity on Chris though and sets the beer bottle aside. "Well, it was fun."

"Fun?" Chris looks at Jensen as if the other has gone insane. "You get to stay with Jared Padalecki, and all it was is fun?"

"Yeah, well, what do you want me to say, Chris?" Jensen sighs, resigned. "It's not news that I'm attracted to him, and it's also old hat that my crush is no crush anymore. Take aside the movie thing, and he would be perfect. He's hot, is fun to be around, and he loves dogs just as much as I do. He's loyal to his friends, and he's a Texas boy just like us."

"Most of that I already knew." Chris is rolling his beer bottle in his hands. "So what's new? Any epiphanies while you stayed with him."

"Yeah, those I had a couple of." He grins wryly at Chris. "Number one, there's this movie thing I already mentioned. How bothersome it can get, we all got to experience. I mean, Chris, my family got besieged by the press, and all that happened was him showing me the tourist spots of Hollywood."

"Well, if you want to be his friend, you'll have to find a way to deal with that crap." There's the hint of a question in Chris's voice.

"I want to be his friend." At this his friend nods but frowns slightly. "I know you warn me every time you get the chance to be careful, to not get in too deep, but Chris there's no reason to worry about anything. First off, there's the publicity problem, then there's the job thing. And I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about myself. Can you see me living in California? No snow throughout the year?"

Chris chuckles amused at Jensen's incredulous tone.

"I love what I'm doing, and I know that starting anything with someone like Jared Padalecki, I would have to make sacrifices. Get a teaching position somewhere and go back to joining expeditions during the holidays."

"Dude, you really thought about it." Chris stares at him in alarm. "Jensen…"

"Chris, no." He glares at his friend. "Yes, I was wondering if it could actually work, but as I said, twice now, the press is a big hurdle. As is me having to sacrifice what I worked so hard for. And last but not least, he's straight. There's no way he would ever consider starting up anything with a guy." Jensen sighs. "I know that for certain."

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't ask if that's what you mean. It was just something he said. I was asking him about the stupid rumors in the press, and when I told him about the story that him having an affair with another man was said to be the reason for the break up he had with Sandra McCoy, he laughed and said that there's no way something like that would happen." He reaches for the beer bottle on the table and takes a swig, wetting his throat. "That about destroyed any idiotic ideas I had about an utopic world where he would be at least remotely interested in me."

Chris for once does not rag on Jared and scold Jensen for being interested in the other man. They just drink their beer and say nothing for a while.

"How about some pizza?" Jensen laughs at Chris attempt of creating a distraction.

"That sounds awesome." Jensen watches Chris head for the pizza menu. He brings it back into the living room and hands it to Jensen.

"But don't pick something stupid like the last time. No pineapples on the pizza, and no spinach either." Chris grabs his phone and presses one on his speed dial. Leave it to Chris to have the pizzeria on number one.

"I'll just take the same you're having." Jensen sets the menu down and waits for Chris to place the order. They're given an estimated time of thirty minutes, and Chris declares that pizza calls for a new beer.

While Chris goes to the kitchen, Jensen drains the rest of the drink in his bottle. He's sitting back and relaxing when his cell phone rings, vibrating in his pocket. Jensen fishes it out and checks the ID. It's Jared. Surprised he flips the phone open.

"Hey!" Jensen gets up from the couch as Chris returns from the kitchen and nods at the fire escape. His friend nods back, and Jensen climbs out through the window.

"Hi." Jared's voice is flat, and the lifeless tone sends a chill down Jensen's spine.

"What's the matter, Jared?" His question is met by an incredulous snort.

"That's what I should be asking you. I heard that you had a run in with some journalists at the airport. I thought that nothing happened on your way to Dallas." The accusation and anger takes Jensen by surprise, and he feels guilty even though he doesn't know what he's feeling guilty about.

"It was just a stupid asshole who asked some questions about you and me." The night air is still very warm, and unlike California, where there had always been a breeze wafting up from the sea, here in the city, the air is stuffy and doesn't move the tiniest bit.

"And what did you say to him?" If Jared's voice had been accusing before, it was angry now.

"I didn't say anything. I told him that if he wouldn't let me go I would press charges about harassment." Jensen wonders what is going on with Jared.

"Is that so?" The sarcasm is dripping from the words.

"Yeah, that's the truth." He frowns upset. "Jared, what is going on?"

"Oh, I don't know. I get a call from my PR manager who tells me that a journalist was attacked by my gay lover when being asked about out relationship. I was then told that he has a statement you gave him." Jensen can only gape dumbfounded at what he hears.

"That's crap. First of, I didn't attack anybody, I might have shoved him a little, to be able to pass him by. And secondly, I never gave any statement." He's getting louder with every word he says.

His excitement has Chris come over and stick his head outside. "You okay?"

Jensen just nods, and waves him back to the couch. He can't deal with Jared and Chris both at the same time.

Once Chris' back is turned, he growls into the phone, "Listen Jared, maybe I should have told you that this guy cornered me at the airport, but what would have changed if I had? I thought that it would change nothing about the fact that it happened, and there are things far more important than some jerk asking questions."

"Yeah, you should have told me about that. Because it was like deja-vu all over again, a friend of mine talking with the press." At these accusations, Jensen has to take a deep breath.

"Fuck you, Jared, I'm not fucking Brad Peters, and I told those guys nothing. And by that I mean, not a single word." Jensen is shouting now. Jared's accusations, and the way he makes Jensen out to be some asshole, has him all worked up.

"So, how can he claim to have a statement from you, if it isn't true?" Jared's voice echoes loudly through the phone.

"How should I know? Maybe he's lying, trying to rattle your cage and get you to give a statement?" He closes his eyes and leans back against the metal rail of the fire escape. "I thought you trusted me."

Being faced with Jared's distrust in him, Jensen's anger deflates, and weariness settles in.

"And how can I?" Jared is still shouting angrily. "You know everything about me. You know that my best friend was Brad Peters, you know things about me during high school even my parents don't know, and yet I can't remember you. Not even a faint recollection of passing you by in the corridors."

"It told you I was…"

"Invisible. Right. Like that actually makes sense." Jensen sits there and sees where this is headed, knows that this can only end badly. "Even being invisible doesn't explain how you know so much about me."

"I was very attentive." He almost whispers into the phone now.

"To everyone at school, or to me in particular?" Step by step, they're getting closer to the edge. Jensen can already feel the feeling of falling.

"To you. I was very attentive to what you were doing." Jensen grimaces as he says the words.

"Why?" And there it is. Jensen swallows heavily. He has to tell the truth now.

"Because I had a crush on you." There's silence on the other end of the line. Jensen feels like being in free fall with nothing to stop him, the ground rushing towards him. When Jared doesn't respond to his statement, Jensen decides that he might as well confess everything. "Still have. Not a crush, but I'm attracted to you."

The silence continues, and Jensen waits for Jared to say something. "Jared?"

"You never said anything." Jared's voice is thin, as if he lacks the strength to speak.

"No, I thought that it would make you feel uncomfortable." And apparently it does. This, right now, is why he had kept quiet about it all this time.

"Did you plan this? The whole press thing. Was it some kind of promotion plan for your environmental group?" Jensen chokes. He can't believe Jared asked him this.

"Wow." He takes a deep breath before he continues. "You really are an asshole."

Before Jared can insult him any further or maybe make any excuses, Jensen cuts him off. "Don't call, Jared."

He cuts the connection and stays sitting on the fire escape, staring out into the backstreet below. There's a tabby climbing around on the dumpsters, searching for food. Jensen watches her for some time, and then he climbs back into Chris apartment.

There are two pizza boxes on the table, but they are both still closed. Chris is sitting on the couch and scanning his face, not liking what he sees.

"What the fuck did he want?" Jensen walks over to his friend and plops down onto the couch.

"He called about something the press said, and when I told him about my interest in him, he accused me of staging the whole media frenzy to get publicity for Adventure Ecology." From the corner of his eye he can see Chris jump up from the couch.

"Give me your phone, I'm gonna rip this asshole a new one." He tries to take Jensen's cell from him, but Jensen tugs it into his back pocket, well out of reach from Chris.

"Leave it, Chris. Just leave it be." When Jensen refuses to co-operate, his friend sits down again. He scowls angrily at the table in front of him.

"What were you telling me about him being loyal to his friends? What a jerk." Chris takes his beer bottle and takes a healthy swig. "Hollywood asshole. You're better off without him."

That might be true, but Jensen can't help but feel like someone had stabbed him in the chest. He had expected many things to happen, feared a lot of different reactions to the truth about Jensen's feelings for Jared, but the accusations he had had to face were worse than anything he had come up with.

When Jensen doesn't say any more, Chris opens the top box of the pizzas. He takes a slice and motions for Jensen to take some as well, but Jensen just shakes his head. He can't eat right now. Drink, yes, and hopefully something stronger than beer, but food is not a good idea at the moment.

Chris actually breaks out the Johnny Walker. He fills them a tumbler each, and once the liquor has burnt down their throats, he fills their glasses up again. This continues until the bottle is half empty, and Jensen, who hasn't had any pizza, is almost lying on the couch. When he holds his glass out for a refill, Chris just pats his head.

"I think it's time for country music." Jensen just nods drunkenly.

His friend returns with his guitar, and tunes it, before he strums the opening chords to an old song he wrote, one Jensen sang with him in the very beginning of their friendship. Jensen's voice is wobbly with the alcohol, but what he lacks in technique he makes up for in enthusiasm.

After the first song, they start on the next one, and then the next one follows. Each one of them is old, back from when Chris spent his summers with his grand parents on the farm. Both of them have died some years ago, and the farm has been sold, but Jensen still remembers the stories Chris had told him about his adventures during the holidays.

When they are done with the songs they can still remember, Jensen is lying on the couch, His head on the armrest, and his feet on the coffee table.

"Okay, I think, you'll sleep on the couch, and tomorrow morning we'll get you home." Jensen wants to protest that he can still drive home, but his eyes and mouth are much too tired to comply.

He's settled fully onto the couch, and a pillow is smushed under his head. When Chris drapes a quilt over him, Jensen mumbles something about heat and tries to shrug the cover off. In the end he just manages to entangle himself with the quilt, and Chris has to free him.

"Dude, you're gonna be dead tomorrow." Jensen watches through his lashes how Chris takes the leftover pizza and carries it away. He does the same with the empty beer bottles, and then he locks the whiskey back into the cupboard.

Once the table is empty again, he walks over to the window, and props it open to let fresh air inside.

"You okay?" Jensen grumbles inarticulate, but Chris gets the picture. He returns once more to the couch and sets down a glass of water and some tablets of aspirin. "For tomorrow morning."

And then the lights are all switched off, and Jensen stares at the light outside. The orange yellow from the street lamps casts a warm glow on the window sill and the curtains. Jensen listens to his friend brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed.

Once Chris has settled down for the night as well, Jensen snuggles deeper into the couch upholstery and closes his eyes. There's a weird feeling in his head, like it's much too heavy and Jensen wonders if maybe his brain has grown.

The question stays with him as he drifts off into sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

In the following days, Jensen gets a couple of calls from Jared, but he doesn't pick up, not wanting to talk with him. It's possible that Jared wants to apologize for what he said, that he wants to them to be friends again, but Jensen can't help remember the harsh accusations and the reaction when he admitted his interest in Jared.

Chris had been right about Jensen feeling bad in the morning, and the first two days after the phone call from hell, Jensen had spent dealing with a hangover worse than anything he had ever experienced before. Even his dad's remedy had not helped, and Josh and Mac had teased him mercilessly when they saw him.

It's now almost a week later, with tomorrow being the day that Jensen is returning to Alaska. His parents are visiting friends, and Jensen finds himself alone at the house. He's lounging on the terrace under the awning, sunglasses on, and reading a book he ordered online about Glaciotectonic. Dean has been sleeping next to his chair ever since Jensen went out there, the heat making him drowsy.

When the doorbell rings, Jensen sets the book aside, wondering about who might be coming round on a Sunday where everyone but him is out. He walks through the house, arriving at the door the same time the bell sounds again. Jensen turns the key and pulls the door open.

Who he finds waiting at the doorstep has him almost close the door again. Jared's standing in front of him. He's holding his sunglasses in his hand, his other hand poised as if he wants to press the door bell. There are heavy bags and shadows under his eyes, and he's surrounded by a defeated air.

"Uh, hi." The unsure greeting has Jensen get out of the momentary shock he's feeling, and he crosses his arms over his chest, barricading the way into the house. "Um, can we talk, maybe?"

"No." Jensen glares at Jared, but through his sunglasses the other can't see that. "We talked enough on the phone on Monday."

This has Jared grimace and he squirms uncomfortably. "Jensen, please."

Jensen wants to tell Jared to go to hell, when he's pushed to the side by Dean who barks enthusiastically, and jumps Jared. The dog yips and licks, his excited greeting a stark contrast between the reception Jared got from his owner.

Once the dog is convinced that Jared has been greeted properly, he allows being shoved down, and just sits next to Jared.

"Jensen, I really have to talk to you." Jared is staring at him imploringly.

Even though he's still upset with what the other said the last time, Jensen can't help himself. After another glare at Jared, he steps aside and lets him in. What can it hurt to let Jared apologize for the shitty things he said. It would make both of them feel better.

He leads the way out back onto the terrace, and sits down on his chair again. He doesn't offer anything to drink; Jared hasn't deserved any hospitality from Jensen.

They have just sat down, when Jared turns to him, and looks at him all contrite. "First off, I want to apologize for the things I said. There's no excuse for my behavior."

"No, there isn't. I still don't know if letting you in was such a good idea. So, tell me what you came all the way here to say, and then leave." Jensen looks away from Jared's face. The defeated look is tearing at him, making him want to forgive Jared what he did.

"When my PR agent told me about the journalist, and this supposed statement he got from you, I short-circuited. It was like being caught blind by Brad's betrayal all over again." Jared notices Jensen tensing at the words, and hurries to continue. "And I know now that you wouldn't ever do something like that. Deep down I knew it back then as well, but I couldn't help myself."

Jensen snorts in disbelief. He can't understand how Jared could even entertain the idea that Jensen would do that. After all the things they had been talking about in the past, and the personal thoughts Jared had entrusted him with.

"Chad told me I'm an idiot." Jared is staring at his hands in his lap. "I called him after you hung up on me, and I went on and on about you stabbing me in the back. He told me I was an ass, and hung up as well."

Hearing about Chad's reaction both surprises and pleases Jensen. At least some people are using their brain. And for Chad to tell Jared off, it was a nice gesture.

"The next day at work he glared at me during breaks, and he followed me home afterwards. There was a lot of shouting and name calling, and he finally got through to me. Well, him and Linda, who has been very short with me ever since she found out what had happened." Dean sighs heavily and rests his head on Jared's feet. "Accusing you of arranging everything as a promotion gag for your work was an asshole thing to do. And my reaction to your admitting your feelings was even worse. I'm so very sorry about everything, Jensen."

He stays quiet, calmly breathing. There are so many things he wants to say. He itches to punch Jared into the face, and he really wishes there were words to describe how hurtful and insulting Jared's accusations had been. But Jensen just stays sitting in the chair, unmoving.

"Jensen, say something, please." Jared is pleading with him, and Jensen just wants to tell him that he doesn't deserve an answer.

When Jensen doesn't react at all, Jared takes a deep breath. "Okay."

Jared gets up from his chair, Jensen not once turning to him. He can hear the metal chair grating over the stone tiles of the terrace, and Dean grumbles in protest as he's dislodged from his resting position.

A pink shirt fills his vision as Jared steps in front of him, forcing Jensen to acknowledge the other's presence. Slowly he looks up, meeting Jared's eyes. His sunglasses allow him to hide his reaction to the defeated and sad look he meets.

"Jensen, I just wanted to talk to you in person before you have to leave and are not available for some time. Sending an e-mail would not have sufficed, I had to talk to you face to face." Jared is squirming under Jensen's stare.

"Well, you said your piece."

His words have Jared tense and he wipes his hands against his thighs. "Yeah."

"I can't say that this changes anything. Your being sorry about the whole incident does not undo that you said those things in the first place, and with me leaving for a month now, it's of no consequence anyway."

With that Jensen gets up, forcing Jared to take a step back. He leads them back through the house and to the front door, Jared obediently tailing him. At the door, he turns around and opens it. Taking a step to the side, he leaves the doorway open for Jared to walk through.

"Bye. And thank you for seeing me." Jared hesitates halfway through the door.

Jensen just nods. He doesn't trust himself to talk. Unsure if he would be able to let the other go like this.

Out of the blue Jared leans forward, closer to Jensen, and mashes his lips against Jensen's. It's not a real kiss, but it comes close enough. Jensen just freezes, his brain short-circuiting, not willing to process what is happening. Suddenly this day has become much more unreal.

"So, uh, think about that." Jared's carding his fingers through his hair, shuffling on the door step.

"What was that?" It takes some time for Jensen to catch up. His thought process isn't back yet to its usual capacity. He blinks once, twice and takes a strangled breath. "What the fuck, Jared?"

"Sorry, it's just that…you said that you're attracted to me, and I thought," Jared stammers weakly.

"You thought what? You think you have to fuck me to stay friends with me." This is somehow even more insulting than the things Jared said on the phone. And it hurts far more. "You're such an asshole!"

"No, I swear that's not what I was thinking! Crap." Jared's holding the door open to prevent Jensen from closing it in his face. "It's just that you said that you've been interested for so long, and I thought that maybe we could give this a try."

"You aren't gay, Jared. As far as I can remember you said to me once that you would never cheat on Sandy with another man." Jensen's growling at him now.

"Yeah, I said I wouldn't have cheated on her with a guy, but that doesn't mean that I'm not gay." Jensen just raises his eyebrow.

"So, are you telling me that all this time you were secretly gay, that the press was right about that?" The whole thing is just ridiculous. Jensen crosses his arms over his chest and takes a step back.

"No, I didn't say that either." Jared seems at a loss about what to say.

"What are you saying then? Because I don't understand what is going on here. When I told you about my feelings for you, you accused me of being a traitor, using you for my purposes, and now you want me to think about, what? What exactly am I supposed to think about, Jared?" His questions have Jared hunch down. It makes him look strangely vulnerable.

"I want to give us a try." And that is what Jensen can't understand. Why does Jared all of a sudden want to pursue a relationship with Jensen?

"Why?" Jensen asks again.

"Because I enjoy spending my time with you. Because you can make me happy when I feel bad, and you put up with my laziness and with my craziness. You love the dogs, and the dogs are totally in love with you. Because Linda and Jack think you are the best thing since sliced bread, and because Chad stood up for you, getting into my face about my jackass behavior. Because I think that we could be good together." Jared's panting at the end of his rant. His cheeks are flushed and his tired eyes have regained some of their sparkle.

"But Jared, you are **not** gay! You aren't interested in men. And as much fun as we would have hanging out and shooting shit, I want to have a real relationship, sex included." Jensen wonders how they arrived at this particular point, and in his head he can hear Chris telling him to be careful.

"We could have sex." Jared sounds almost petulant now.

"Dude, be real. Have you ever wanted to fuck me? Was there ever a moment where you went '_I want to bend him over and take him hard against the wall_'?" At the last question Jared blushes, and it's all the answer Jensen needs. "Jared, stop trying to do or be something you aren't. You don't have to sleep with me to be friends with me."

"That's not why I'm suggesting this. And just because I haven't thought those things about you, doesn't mean I haven't had any gay experience." This has Jensen snort.

"So, tell me, how much experience have you had, to make such well-informed decisions?" He can't hide the sarcasm in his voice

"In high school I got a hand job from Dirk Briant." Jensen laughs out loud. It's just so ridiculous.

"Jared, two teenage football players letting off steam after a game, once, doesn't make you gay, it just makes you horny, and a teenage boy." He shakes his head. "I know that you are sorry about what you said on the phone, and that you want us to continue to be friends, but there's no way we are going to start any relationship."

"Why not?" Jared steps closer to him, entering the house, and crowding him back against the wall. "Why can't we at least try?"

"Because it would never work." Jensen fights hard to calm his breathing down, the close proximity of Jared, his body almost flush against Jensen's makes it hard to concentrate. Amongst other things.

Jared leans in, and kisses him again. This time it is much better coordinated, and Jensen has to fight against the urge to give in and return the kiss.

"I know it can work, and I think that should you decide to give us a chance. We would be awesome." One hand reaches up to Jensen's face and trace his jaw. The caress has Jensen shudder lightly, and he bites his lower lip to hide his reactions to it.

"Jared, stop it. Please." Jensen's not above pleading. He wants this so much, but he knows that he can't have it. It's bound to end in a disaster.

"No, I want you to promise that you'll think about my offer when you go to Alaska, and when you come back in a month, I want you to come to me and tell me your decision." Jared brushes his lips against Jensen's. His hand, which had been caressing Jensen's face is buried in his hair, and the other hand is gripping his hip.

"No." Jensen whispers against Jared's lips. "I won't think about it: And for once I'll do what Chris told me to do, I'll be careful. Because a week, a month latest, from now, when you realize that it was a stupid idea to begin with, you'll cut your losses, and I'll have to deal with the fallout."

His voice gains strength with every word he's saying, and Jensen pushes Jared away from him. He regrets the loss of contact at once, but rationally he knows that it's the right decision.

A stubborn look settles on Jared's face, who refuses to look anywhere but at Jensen's face. "I'm not giving up like that. And I'll not decide otherwise, either. I will be back once you are finished up in Alaska, and I will want a decision on the offer."

"Jared, I already told you 'no'." Jensen sighs heavily.

"And I refuse to accept this decision. You are still upset about the fight a week ago, and I know that once you had some time to think about things, you'll change your mind." And the scary thing is, that Jared's right. Jensen will change his mind, and he will want to give them a try, even if he knows that it's doomed from the beginning.

Jared kisses him a last time, and then turns around and leaves the house. There's a rental parked at the curb, and Jensen watches him get in, wave at Jensen, and drive off.

He stays standing at the door some minutes after the other is gone, and then shakes himself out of it, closing the front door and returning to his chair on the terrace. His thoughts are racing and his lips are still tingling from where Jared kissed him.

The idea of calling Chris is quenched at once, knowing what his friend would say. Jensen's subconscious teases him about not wanting to be talked out of a very stupid thing he's about to do. He tells his subconscious to shut up and stares out into the garden.

Dean whines and rests his head on Jensen's knee. Absentmindedly, he pets the dog, his mind far away. It's like this his parents find him hours later when they return from their visit.


End file.
